Enigma
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: Every Uchiha needs a friend. Sanosuke just didn't realize how important such bonds were until he had one of his own. Sanosuke x Talia Note: An OC story
1. Hooky

**Enigma**

_Chapter One_

-Hooky-

Konoha Ninja Academy, one of the village's pride and joys. Esteemed school that trained almost every ninja that resided in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Any kid would be happy to go there, for the status alone gave you something to brag about. Any kid, except one Uchiha Sanosuke, who sat in the back of his classroom with a look of disinterest plastered on his young face.

He didn't understand why he was being forced to attend this school. Anything and everything he needed to learn about being a ninja he could learn from his parents and his grandfathers. In his eyes, this institution had nothing to offer him but a boring, daily routine that he didn't need in his life.

His siblings went here as well, and were in their third year. They seemed to enjoy it, though his older brother Noriaki had said on more than one occasion that it was obvious they were better than the other children. And Sanosuke couldn't help but agree. He'd rather be at home with his mother, the way Hayate, his five year old brother, got too. Lucky guy.

He exhaled harshly, blowing his ebony bangs out of his face and allowing his forest green eyes to scan the entire room. They were learning about different kinds of weapons today, something Sanosuke was already privy too, as his grandfather had already taught him this. Not wanting to sit through an entire lecture on something he already knew, he raised his hand straight up in the air.

The teacher, a middle-aged jounin that looked like they hadn't really seen many missions, paused in his lecture, sighing. It had been a known fact that on more than one occasion Uchiha Sanosuke would raise his hand, only to correct him. He just didn't feel like dealing with this today. "Yes, Sanosuke?" he asked, albeit reluctantly.

"May I use the restroom?" the young Uchiha asked politely.

"Yes, just make it quick." The jounin said.

Sanosuke stood from his seat, walking down the aisle of the class, completely focused on his goal, which at the moment was the door of the classroom. He glanced up at his instructor briefly, before crossing the front of the class and leaving. Once he was out in the hall, he breathed out a sigh of relief, but didn't relax his posture. He quickly, though at a normal-looking pace, made it to the boy's bathroom, where he immediately went into the last stall, where the window was located.

He stared up at it in contemplation. It would require a bit of work, but he could get out through that. Readying himself, he stepped up onto the edge of the toilet seat, placing his hands on the walls to steady himself. He squat slightly, bending his knees before pushing up and jumping into the air, grabbing onto the ledge of the windowsill as quickly as he could. Using all of the strength he possessed, he pulled himself up, eventually using his entire forearms to lift himself. He reached out with one of his hands and pushed open the window, allowing for a small gap to appear that he could crawl through.

It took him a while, because at one point he'd had to take a short break and lift himself again, but eventually, Sanosuke had managed to slip through the opening in the window. Sure, he'd fallen to the ground instead of landing gracefully, but nobody had to know about that. No one had seen it anyways, so it didn't matter. He would just have to work on it.

Dusting his clothes off, so that his mother wouldn't notice when she came back to pick him up in a few hours, he ran away from the school, a small smile coming to his face. He was free, however momentary, from that terrible place. Maybe he could test out of his grade and get moved up, then he could graduate early like his grandfather's brother Uchiha Itachi had. Though something told him his mother would never allow that. She wanted her children's lives to be as normal as possible. Though based on who they were, normal would never be an option.

Sanosuke eventually found himself coming up on Konoha Academy, the school where civilian children went. He'd never really seen the place before, since he'd never had a reason to come this far east into the village, but it certainly didn't look very different from where he went. There just weren't any practice targets in the front.

He decided to sneak around this building, because he knew that if he was caught over here, he would be sent back to his school. There was no way he would be mistaken for one of the kids, simply because of the symbol of his family's clan on the back of his black t-shirt. Just as he was crossing the playground, he heard a loud bell, which startled him into a run straight for the woods. He quickly dove into some bushes, looking through the leaves and watching as a mass of kids ran out, screaming and laughing as they began to play with one another.

Fascinated, since he'd only ever played with his brothers and sister, he sat there and watched the other kids interact. Nobody would find him anyways, and he wanted to learn more about regular kids. They didn't really seem all that different from kids from ninja families, they even played some of the same games that he had learned of. He began to get caught up in simply observing, the sound of the bushes next to him rustling enough to bring him out of his trance and stiffen as he waited to see what was making the noise. Had he been discovered? He could already feel the weight of his mother's disapproving stare, despite the pink haired woman not being present.

But what came through the bushes wasn't a civilian teacher. Instead, it was a little girl, with golden blonde hair, and the biggest amber eyes Sanosuke had ever seen. She didn't notice him at first, instead focused on brushing off the leaves that had stuck to her. So he decided to speak up and get her attention.

"You can't be here." He said, his posture not loosening in the slightest.

The girl almost screamed, stumbling back and falling on her butt. She stared up at him, her eyes wide with surprise, somehow widening even more when she took in his appearance. "Holy crap!" she laughed, getting to her knees and pointing at him. "You're an Uchiha!"

His brow furrowed slightly. Why was someone her age using such foul language so freely? He would have been punished if he'd ever done that. He quickly schooled his expression back to one of boredom. It was best to show no emotion, and overlook her need to point out the obvious. "You can't be here." He repeated. "Go away."

"Well neither can you snob, aren't you supposed to be at the ninja academy?" she smirked. "I bet your pretty mommy would flip a lid if she knew you were skipping school."

Sanosuke's eyes widened, and before she could blink, he had tackled her to the ground, his hand over her mouth so that any sound she made would go unheard. "Don't tell her." He whispered, as if even talking about it would alert her to the news. "Please." He added, remembering his manners. Normally he wouldn't care too much, but she _was_ a girl, and he was supposed to be nice to them, no matter how weird they were.

All the blonde girl did was talk into his hand, and it was clear she was laughing, enjoying his slight turmoil from his pre-punishment. He glared down at her, hating that a mere civilian girl was seeing him at one of his weaker moments. Uchihas were never supposed to be weak, after all. "Shut up." He ordered. "I'll knock you out if I have to, but I would rather not have to resort to such tactics."

She reached up and pulled his hand down from her mouth. "Go ahead. Then I get to tell your daddy while you were _skipping _you _hit_ a girl. For no reason, other than to help you in your lie!" she yelled the last part out, getting a couple stares from some nearby kids. They remained unseen though, since they were hidden by the bushes.

"Whatever." He said, getting off of her and sitting cross-legged, crossing his arms as well as he observed who he now considered his opponent. Best to just change the subject instead of admit defeat. Steer her onto a different path of conversation. "What are you doing back here anyways? Don't you have friends or something?" he asked.

"Yeah." She smiled, pulling out a small pouch from the messenger bag. "I made these stink bombs at home and I'm going to throw them onto the playground and watch everybody freak out!"

He gave her an odd look. That sounded like something Noriaki would do. "Why?" he asked, obviously not understanding her joy in the idea.

"Because it's funny of course." She said simply. "To see people freak out." She snickered and offered him one. "You want to do it with me? I bet you can throw it pretty far with all that training you guys do!" the girl laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

Sanosuke took it from her, examining the small bomb. They certainly looked interesting. He wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not, but his mother was always telling him he needed to make some friends. So, if he did this, he and this girl would kind of be like friends, right? He nodded, looking back up at her. "Okay, you go first, since you're a girl."

She nodded and giggled, scooting closer to the shrubbery and squat down before pulling her hand back and throwing the small projectile towards a group of girls who looked confused, until the thing exploded in a cloud of stink, making them all scream out and run away, scattering all over the playground. Sanosuke's eyes widened at the sight, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. This was kind of funny to watch. He drew back his hand and tossed the bomb as far as he could, watching it land over by the swings.

The kids that had previously been hogging the sets made sounds of disgust, and hastily stopped their swings as quickly as they could, running away from the favorite place of fun and holding their noses shut so that they didn't have to inhale any more of the smell.

The blonde girl burst into laughter, throwing another out from the bushes. It was just perfect, that was until one of the teachers yelled out to them. "Hey! You two in the bushes!" he called out, spreading the branches and glaring at the two. "What are you do-Ugh Talia, I should have known it was you." The dark haired man shook his head in irritation. He looked to the ebony haired boy beside her, his eyes widening. "Uchiha Sanosuke."

Sanosuke blinked, his eyes having widened slightly at being caught. Great, now his mom was sure to find out. But he wasn't too worried about that at the moment. What interested him more was the girl next to him, whose name was apparently Talia. He ignored his thought about how pretty her name was, instead focusing on the fact that it seemed she was known for pulling pranks and practical jokes. Certainly not the kind of friend his parents and grandfather would want him to have. But his grandparents were friends with the Sixth Hokage, and he did stupid stuff like that all the time. So it wouldn't be that bad if he were friends with her, right?

"It was my idea to throw the stink bombs." Sanosuke found himself saying. He was already going to be in trouble for ditching school, might as well take all of the blame onto himself for this little idea of hers. Besides, friends stuck up for one another. So even though his mother would be mad at him, she would forgive him eventually, and this way he earned Talia's trust. Trust was important in any relationship. His mother had taught him that.

Talia looked over at the dark haired boy, surprise obvious in her wide, vivid ambers orbs. The teacher sighed and gave the blonde girl another hard look. "Talia, the last thing we need is for you to taint the minds of the village's pride and joy." He huffed and stood straight, snapping for them both to come out. "Come with me." He said, signaling for the other teachers to take the class inside as the man led the two kids down the street towards the Hokage Tower.

Talia glanced over at Sanosuke before moving a bit closer to him. "Why'd you do that?" she whispered.

"I'm not really sure." He replied honestly. "But I didn't want you to get in trouble."

"You didn't have to." She frowned, looking forward. "I mean you're all esteemed. Your dad's going to be pissed."

Sanosuke shrugged. "I know, but I don't really care."

"How come?"

He thought about her question, but didn't really have an answer. It wasn't like he could tell her that it was because he wanted to be friends with her. That just sounded lame, and Uchihas don't sound lame. "Because my father's anger is nothing compared to my mother's. But you won't have to be around for that, so it's okay."

Talia nodded and glanced up once they were in front of the Hokage building. The travel up the steps was a lot worse than she imagined. After all, she'd never been in trouble with the Hokage himself before. The next thing she knew they were at the door, the teacher knocking loudly.

She didn't hear anything, but their elder must have, because he pushed in the door and allowed the two to go in before him. "Hokage-sama." The instructor said loudly, getting the attention of a familiar looking dark haired man.

Sanosuke and Talia walked until they were before the desk, and the entire time the younger Uchiha could almost hear his heart beating in his chest. "What's going on?" Akito asked, standing from his desk and looking to the teacher for the answer, since before then his gaze had been on his son.

"Well Hokage-sama, I found your son in the bushes by the school and he was with this little destructive one." He said, pointing to Talia. "They were throwing stink bombs at all the kids from the bushes, and your son says it was his idea…though I think he might be covering for a certain little deviant." He spoke, staring Talia down as she shrunk a bit.

"I never lie." Sanosuke stated, his deep gaze not even wavering from his father's form. "I snuck out of the ninja academy and went over to the civilian one to play a joke on the normal kids." He explained. "Talia found me and decided to help. None of this is her fault, it is mine for dragging her into my mischief."

Akito raised a brow, clearly knowing that that was not the entire truth, but deciding not to argue against it. Natsumi could deal with him later. "I see." He said, his gaze moving to the girl that had entered with his offspring. "And is that what happened?" he asked her.

"Yes sir." She nodded, trying not to appear as nervous as she was. "I'm sorry."

The Hokage just sighed, debating on what to do. He looked back at the teacher that had brought them in. "Take her back to school. You can just tell her parents about what happened and punish her how you see fit. I will deal with my son." He ordered.

"Of course." The man nodded and ushered Talia out, but not before she stole another glance back at the Hokage and his son.

When they were alone, Akito walked around the desk and then crouched before Sanosuke. "Sano." He said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You realize that if you continue this lie, your punishment will be worse."

Sanosuke cocked his head to the side. "What lie?" he asked, appearing innocent. This made Akito chuckle and stand.

"Well, if you insist." He said, walking over to the door. He opened it, getting his secretary's attention. "Please send for my wife. Tell her it's urgent."

"Yes Hokage-sama." The woman nodded, immediately jumping to the task. Akito shut the door then and looked at the stiff back of his son. If he knew one thing, he knew that Sanosuke would be more likely to bend under his mother's will than his own. She had a way with their sons that just called for them to do her bidding, he thought, walking over to his desk and leaning against it. He stared at Sanosuke, who had chosen to look out one of the windows at some distant object, crossing his arms as he waited for his wife's arrival.

It wasn't much later when they all heard the footsteps coming from down that hall. Sanosuke's eyes widened slightly, and this time, he was sure he could hear the pounding of his heart. He even wondered if his father could hear it as well. He glanced at his elder, but Akito just seemed to brighten at the knowledge of his wife's impending arrival. The younger male had to fight to control his breathing, as well as come up with what he was going to say.

He heard when her fingertips touched the door, and shortly after it opened, almost painfully slow. Natsumi walked in then, in all her glory. Her short pink hair was perfect, not a strand out of place. She had on a black halter top that tied around her neck, a necklace hanging from her neck with a diamond Uchiha symbol as the pendent. She wore black capris that stopped just past her knees and looked at the scene before her, her eyes taking on slight surprise. "What's going on?" she asked her husband, moving her gaze from her son and locking onto his beautiful green.

Akito pushed off the desk and walked forward a bit. "Sanosuke decided to sneak out of school today." He told her, looking down at their son, who slowly turned around to face the woman who had brought him into the world. He gave her a small smile in an attempt to lessen her anger, since it was rare that such an expression was ever on his face.

Her gaze narrowed almost instantly. "What?" she asked, meeting her son's terrified gaze, her tone anything but merciful.

He looked down at the floor in shame, stepping forward and clasping his hands behind his back. "Well you see Mommy," he said softly, looking back up at her with wide, innocent eyes. He was going to try his best to make this work. If he could pull it off, he'd be even better than his older brothers, and that knowledge alone was enough to give him even a sliver of courage. "We were learning about all the different kinds of weapons, and Grandfather already taught me about that. I wasn't even paying attention, because you told me to stop correcting the teacher when he said stuff wrong, so I pretended to go to the bathroom and slipped out the window. I figured that way I could do something more productive with my day." He explained, using his most childish sounding voice as he did so.

"What did I tell you about skipping school Sanosuke. Don't bring this crap like Noriaki tried to do when he was your age about how you're so much better." She huffed, placing her hands on her hips, which was never a good sign. "Just because you are better than someone doesn't give you the right to disrespect them by leaving class. Are you really so eager to be like Noriaki?"

"No ma'am." He shook his head. "It wasn't about thinking I was better, I promise. I just wanted to spend time with you like Hayate gets too." He said, feigning feebleness as he reached out and gently touched her fingers in a sign that he wanted to hold her hand. Akito couldn't help the smirk that came to his face at his son's tactics. His children certainly knew how to work things to their advantage, though their tricks never really worked on him and Natsumi, it was still fun to watch them try.

Natsumi huffed and glared off, lifting her arms and crossing them over her chest as to prevent her sweet son from manipulating her. "Sweetheart. You can't skip school. I just can't believe you would deliberately disobey me…" she said, sounding pained as hurt flashed across her face.

Sanosuke gasped, his eyes widening at the look. "I'm sorry Mommy!" he said, hugging her around the legs. "I didn't want to upset you, but I was so bored!" he told her, burying his face in her leg. "I won't do it again, I promise. Just please don't be sad because of me."

The pink haired woman kept up her distraught façade before finally resting her hand on top of Sanosuke's head. "Well you're grounded from training for three days because of this. Understand? And yes, nighttime fun with your grandfather counts as training. No kunai practice, no nothing."

He looked up at her with wide eyes. "What? But…but…" he stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "But training is healthy. Don't you want me to be healthy Mommy?"

"Sanosuke." Akito said, halting his son's next manipulation tactic. "Tell your mother what else happened today." He ordered, making the little boy's pout disappear as he hid his face against Natsumi's thigh once more.

Natsumi retracted her hand, glaring down at her boy before stepping out of his grasp. "There's more? And you didn't plan on telling me? Sanosuke it's not like you to lie." She scolded, her anger simmering beneath livid jade eyes.

Sanosuke clasped his hands behind his back. "Well…" he looked off, unable to meet her gaze. "I went over to the civilian school…and threw stink bombs at the other kids while they were at recess." He admitted.

"And?" Akito said, raising a brow. The young Uchiha sighed, his shoulders slumping a bit.

"And I involved a civilian girl that was at recess, so when a teacher caught us, she got in trouble too." He said. Then he glanced up at his mother. "But now I have a friend…" he trailed off, giving her a tiny, shy smile, hoping that that knowledge alone wouldn't cause her to increase her punishment on him.

The Uchiha mother blinked, a look of astonishment on her face. "Really? As in…you want to hang out with her and be normal?"

He nodded earnestly. "I even tried to talk to her and keep conversation flowing, just like you said." he told her.

"You _spoke_ to her of your own want?" Natsumi bubbled, only getting more and more excited. But before she could speak again, and before Sanosuke could feel in the clear, Akito cleared his throat.

"Sweetheart." He said strongly, giving her a knowing stare.

She blinked and seemed to snap back into her role. "Right." she nodded and looked back at Sanosuke. "Nevertheless, skipping school is wrong and you shouldn't get other people into trouble. And for throwing stink bombs that's four days of grounding now." She said, holding up a silencing finger since he was about to protest. "Got it?"

He considered trying another tactic to manipulate her into lessening the punishment, but knew that his father would never allow it. "Yes ma'am." He sighed in acceptance. He glanced at the clock on the wall and then back up at her. "Can I please stay with you the rest of the day? I promise I'll be good. Please?" he pleaded.

Natsumi sighed. "Sano, I have to prep the Anbu for upcoming missions. You know that's top secret information between your father and I."

"But Mommy, there's only an hour and a half of school left. If I go back now it will be pointless." He explained, looking up at her with wide, innocent eyes. "I miss getting to spend time with you." he reached out and grabbed her hand in a weak grip, making himself seem more childish.

"Sanosuke, you heard your mother." Akito said, moving and standing next to his wife so that he could look down at his son. "Quit trying to manipulate the situation to your advantage, or I will make your punishment a whole week. Understand?"

"Yes sir." He said dejectedly.

The pink haired woman sighed, setting her hand on her hip as she leaned against her husband. "Alright, alright. Come on, you can help seal the scrolls while I go over details with the Anbu." She said, taking his hand in return and pulling him after her. "See you later love," Natsumi smiled, looking over her shoulder to her husband. "I await for your arrival darling."

Akito smirked. "Don't worry baby. Today's been a bit stressful, so I won't stay too long. You know how I get when I'm…tense." He said, glancing down at their son's back before looking back into her dazzling jade eyes.

"I can hardly wait." She visibly shivered, pulling her son out the door after her before she wouldn't be able to leave.

Sanosuke refrained from rolling his eyes, knowing that this meant dinner would be delayed. And he couldn't even pass the time with his grandfather or training, because he was grounded. The next four days were going to be a living hell for him.


	2. Boredom

**Enigma**

_Chapter Two_

-Boredom-

Sanosuke walked down the streets of Konoha, his hands shoved in his pockets and a bored look on his face. It was day two of his punishment, and he was pretty sure he was going to die. And it wasn't even like he could leave the Uchiha District and train elsewhere, because his mother would ask him every time she saw him if he had disobeyed, and there was no way he could lie to her. Not to mention that the last thing he would ever dream of doing is go against her orders. That was just crazy.

So, in an attempt to quell the need to train, he had decided to wander around the village. His parents always complained that he never got out anyways, so he might as well give it a try. He paused in his step when he came upon the local playground, and watched as the other kids ran around and laughed with one another. Part of him wished that he was able to do that, but he didn't like people enough, nor did he like to be touched by anyone who wasn't his family. It wasn't that he thought he was better than them, it just made him uncomfortable. The only one who seemed to understand was his grandfather, because he never bothered him about it. His grandpa wasn't too bad about it either, but the redhead would mention every once in a while that he needed to make at least _one_ friend.

As he resumed his walk, he crossed to go by the playground in order to take a shortcut to the park. Hearing a loud, happy laugh, he glanced over and saw Talia chasing another girl around, and she was holding something in her hands. He guessed that whatever it was was what was causing the kid to run away in fright. Probably a bug or something. He quickly looked away and continued walking. He knew he should probably call out to her, stop and talk to her in order to further their friendship, but he didn't know what to say. What if he sounded like a complete idiot?

Suddenly he heard his name being called out, and he stopped, his brow furrowing. Who would be calling out his name? He turned around, his eyes lighting with surprise as he saw Talia running towards him. He didn't think she would notice him. He also noticed that she was still holding whatever she'd been chasing that girl around with.

"Hey Sanosuke!" Talia beamed, panting slightly from her run. "What are you doing out and about? I've never like seen you so close, and now twice in one week?" she snickered.

Sanosuke obviously didn't find anything funny in her statement. "I'm being punished." He stated, slumping his shoulders only slightly, since Uchihas were supposed to have perfect posture.

She blinked, appearing confused. "Punished?" she asked, then went wide eyed. "You got in trouble for taking the blame?"

"Mostly just for sneaking out of school." He explained. "I'm pretty sure my parents knew I was taking the blame, so they weren't _too_ harsh on that one." He blinked. That was the longest sentence he'd ever said to anyone outside his family before. If he were one for smiling, he would have in that moment. His mother would be so proud of him when he told her.

Talia nodded, but only looked confused once more. "Wait, if you're grounded then how come you're out?"

"Because it's better than being stuck with my siblings all day." He said simply, lifting his shoulder in a small shrug. "So I went with the lesser of two evils and decided to go on a walk."

She couldn't help but laugh, smiling brightly. "That's not what I meant, I mean, if you're grounded, aren't you not allowed out?"

He shook his head. "I'm grounded from training and spending time with my grandfather for four days, since my mother knows we'll just train anyways if we hang out."

The blonde girl tried to hold in her laugh this time. "You get grounded…from training?" then she burst out, holding her sides. "That's hilarious!"

"It is not!" he exclaimed, bristling as his feathers were ruffled. He didn't know why he expected her to understand though. After all, she was just a civilian. "Training is good for you, and its fun." He crossed his arms in a silent pout.

Finally her giggles died down, and she met his green gaze with her amber one. "Sorry, it's just kinda funny. It would be like me getting grounded from homework."

He decided to change the subject then, since like any other boy he didn't appreciate being laughed at, however friendly it was. His eyes moved to her hands. "What were chasing that girl with?" he asked as he looked back up at her, since that question had been pricking at his mind.

Talia blinked and gasped, moving her hands and looking at the squashed insect on her palms. "Ah crap!" she shivered, running over to the water fountain and cleaning the guts from her hands. "Gross, gross, gross." She grumbled, scrubbing rigorously till they were all clean.

Sanosuke walked over to where she was, watching her rinse off her hands in slight curiosity. "So what kind of bug was it?" he asked.

"Some creepy caterpillar I found on a tree. Girls are so afraid of them it's just hilarious." She smirked, resting her hands on her hips. "I just like to mess with people, after all I'm not afraid of anything!" she boasted, puffing her chest out in pride.

"Me either." He smirked, knowing just how she felt.

Talia scoffed. "Well of course you aren't. You're an Uchiha, not to mention your mom is the descendent of the greatest Kazekage to ever live. Don't you guys have like three elements and two super strong bloodlines?"

"Yup." The corner of his mouth lifted even more. Oh how he did enjoy bragging, even if it was only slightly.

"So what are you best at?"

"I'm the best with weapons." He told her. "Cause' it's not good to become too reliant on jutsu, otherwise you could get in a sticky situation and die."

She nodded. "That's how your mom and dad are right? Isn't your mom like really, really fast? And your dad like an expert with weapons?" she wondered, appearing genuinely interested.

A small smile came to his face as he began to get wrapped up in their conversation. "Yeah. But when I grow up, I'm gonna be better than them, and faster. I'm already almost as fast as my older brothers." He boasted.

"Really?" she nearly bounced. "That's so cool! I'm pretty fast myself." Talia smirked, pointing to herself. "I won the class sprint last semester and got first place in the jump rope contest."

His deep eyes sparked with interest. "Do you train? I mean…exercise?" he asked, since civilians technically couldn't train the way ninja could.

Talia thought for a moment before shrugging. "I dunno I guess so. I mean, I like to jump rope and run really fast, but other than that not really."

He just nodded, having run out of things to say. It seemed as if the topic of training had come to a close, so what else could they talk about? He didn't know what civilians did on a daily basis, much less a girl. And his sister Izayoi wasn't a good example, because as an Uchiha she was held above the rest of the girls in the village. Anything she did was of a higher standard. Then it came to him. "Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope." The girl said simply. "Just me and my mom."

"What about your father?"

"He died when I was four. He was a ninja, not a very good one I guess. He was a chuunin." She shrugged, looking off as a sad look came to her face.

Sanosuke's eyes widened slightly. He hadn't meant to make her upset, he had just been curious. Should he apologize for asking? No, Uchihas never apologized, or felt sorry about anything they did concerning those outside the family. But, as her friend, it was his job to make her feel better. "Just because he died as a chuunin doesn't mean he wasn't a good ninja." He said. Then he reached out and pat her shoulder awkwardly, since he didn't really touch people if he could help it. His mother was an exception, as were the rest of his family, on occasion. "It just means he didn't get the chance to become a jounin."

"Naw." She sighed and looked back at him. "He wasn't a very confident guy. At least that was what my mom said. But she liked how awkward and nervous he was." Talia smiled then.

"Oh." He blinked, retracting his hand since it seemed she didn't really need to be comforted.

It was silent then, the air becoming heavy between them. But just before Sanosuke could open his mouth to dismiss himself, Talia spoke, "Hey do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Or are you even allowed to?"

"Really?" the young Uchiha asked, shocked. She wanted him to come over to her house? Then he realized that what he had said might be taken the wrong way, and so quickly spoke up. "Um…yeah I think I can. I just have to ask my mother."

"Okay cool! I'll ask my mom to set it for three today! Just wait right here, she works over at the restaurant right there." She pointed off, towards a few bistros and cafés. Then she ran off, disappearing inside one of the establishments.

Sanosuke blinked, and then his eyes widened. Crap. He was going to have to ask his mother if he could miss dinner. If she said yes, his siblings would become curious, and he'd be bothered and teased to no end by Noriaki. Especially because he didn't want to just leave Talia to go and ask. It would be best if she went with him, as proof that he in fact did have a friend. And that would only make it worse. What if his weird family scared her away?

He inhaled deeply, letting it out in a slow breath as he waited, repeating the action in order to calm his racing thoughts. If he thought the worst, he would become depressed, and his mother hated it when he acted like an emo, as she had deemed it. He clasped his hands behind his back and inhaled once more, seeing his blonde friend come bouncing towards him as he was exhaling. And based on her smile, he could only surmise that the news was good.

"She said yes!" Talia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as she stopped in front of him.

"Okay, well I have to go home and ask my mother…" he trailed off, glancing back in the direction of the Uchiha Prefecture. "Do you want to come with me?" he asked her, somewhat hesitantly.

She simply laughed. "Of course. How else are you going to find out where I live?"

"I just meant…nevermind." He shook his head, stuffing his hands back in his pockets as he turned, heading back towards his home wordlessly. He hoped she knew what she was getting herself into by coming with him. Because he knew from personal experience that his family could be a bit much sometimes, especially when they got excited about something.

Talia skipped after him, smiling brightly as her excitement bubbled over. They eventually entered the large district, and Sanosuke led her down a few streets until they came upon a big, traditional looking house. He slowly went up the steps to the front door, but paused before opening it. He turned to look at Talia, who was still smiling in her happiness, a mixture of curiosity on her face at the new things she was being shown. "Okay, be as quiet as you can. And if someone finds us, don't say anything. Just let me handle it." he moved to open the door but paused, looking back at her once more. "And don't take anything my brother Noriaki says seriously. Nobody does." He told her.

"Isn't he the one that flirts with all the girls?" She wondered as they came inside, though her question was never answered, because all of a sudden there was a small boy before them.

"Hi Sano!" he yelled out. "Mommy! Sano is home!" he beamed and then blinked. "And he brought home a pretty blonde girl!"

Sanosuke's eyes widened, and he quickly grabbed his younger brother, looping his arm around his neck to hold him still and pressing his free hand against his mouth. "Hayate, if you know what's good for you, you'll stay quiet and not struggle." He threatened, looking around the living room suspiciously. Not hearing anything yet, he turned, causing the little boy under his arms to do the same. "This is my little brother Hayate. Hayate, this is Talia." He said. Hayate waved excitedly, not even upset about the predicament he was in.

"Hello Hayate." Talia waved back. "You look just like your dad."

Hayate nodded happily, but the moment was short-lived as Sanosuke began to walk in the direction of the kitchen. He peeked his head around a corner, seeing that the coast was clear. If he could just get to his mom before his other siblings were alerted to his presence, he would be okay. Looking back at Talia, he motioned for her to quickly follow him through the shoji screen and to the kitchen. He glanced inside, relief filling him when he saw that his mother was alone, working on dinner like she usually did at this time.

He entered the kitchen, releasing Hayate when he was close to his mother, so that he wouldn't get in trouble for 'mistreating' his younger sibling. "Mother." He said sweetly, clasping his hands behind his back in order to gain her attention. "I brought-"

"Sano brought over a pretty girl!" Hayate announced loudly, smiling at the glare he received from his brother. That would show teach him to mistreat him while they had company.

The pink haired woman blinked, turning around from her task and looking at the three who had joined her in the kitchen. "Sanosuke brought someone home?" she asked and then smiled brightly at the startled blonde girl in the kitchen. "Oh hello!" Natsumi greeted, walking over to them. "Hi there. I'm Uchiha Natsumi, Sanosuke's mom."

Talia just stared at her. She was a lot prettier up close than she had ever imagined. "Hi, I'm Utagawa Talia."

"Oh you're so cute." The woman beamed, placing her hands over her cheeks. "She really is cute Sanosuke. Is this your friend?"

"Yes." Sanosuke nodded. An idea came to him then, and he reached out and grabbed Talia's hand, glad that he hadn't done so awkwardly. "Talia invited me to dinner with her and her mom tonight. Is it okay if I go? Please?" he asked, giving her a wide eyed, pleading look, completing the picture of an adorable child.

Natsumi looked between the two and smiled. "Of course you can sweetheart!"

Suddenly the door slammed open and three identical eyes peeked in, until one of the boys pushed through and landed in the kitchen. "Ha! So it's true! Sano brought a girl home!" he yelled out, making the other two snicker along with him.

"Sano has a girlfriend. Sano has a girlfriend." They teased.

He glared at his older siblings. He wouldn't give them a response, it would only make things worse. Plus he didn't want Talia to think he was a child. Instead, he tugged on her hand in an attempt to lead her from the kitchen. "Come on." He said, urging her to follow.

"Oh darling, don't forget to bring a jacket. It could get cold. And don't stay out too late. You know it's harder for me to sleep when you're out." Natsumi smiled, grabbing her triplets by the backs of their shirts and dragging them out of the way.

"I promise to be home in time for bed." he told her as he led Talia back out to the living room so he could grab a jacket from the coat closet. Surprisingly, things hadn't been as bad as he'd thought they'd be with bringing her home. Though that didn't mean he would be bringing Talia over to his house often.

They left after that and started the walk to her house in silence. "Your mom's _really_ pretty." She said eventually. "Like really, really pretty. Doesn't she have a twin sister?"

"Yes." He said, looking over at her. "My Aunt Satomi is just as pretty, but her hair is long and wavy."

"How is her hair that color?" Talia asked, beginning to run her fingers through her own blonde locks. "Does she dye it?"

He raised a brow, as if she were crazy for even asking such a question. "Of course not. She got it from my grandma."

"Well my mom says that's a crazy hair color and when I said I wanted mine that color she scolded me. But I think it would be super cool." Talia giggled.

Sanosuke tried to picture her with hair the same color as his mother's, but it was hard. He liked her hair the way it was, but there was no way he would tell her that. He would just have to persuade her not too. "Your mother is right. Dying your hair is bad for it anyways, and will make it all dry and give it split ends. And you wouldn't want that to happen to it."

"Oh…" she blinked, tapping her chin in thought. "Well I think maybe some streaks would be cool. Blue and pink." She laughed, running ahead once they reached an apartment complex. "Come on, it's the third floor!"

He ran to catch up with her, following her up the stairs in slight excitement. He'd actually never been this close to an apartment building before, since he'd never had a reason to be. And the thought of getting to see what an apartment actually looked like interested him to no end. Talia reached a door finally, with faded bronze numbers. She burst in and they both smelled the familiar scent of home cooking. "Mom!" the blonde girl yelled. "I'm home!"

"Oh thank goodness! I was wondering where you were sweetie." A kind voice came from the kitchen and soon a face was made known as she emerged. She was a willowy woman with pale blonde locks that fell around her face. She was wearing an apron, food smears covering the material. "So who's this friend you invited…" she froze, seeing the dark haired boy in her house. "Oh my God. You're an Uchiha."

If he had a dime for every time someone had ever said that about him or one of his siblings, Sanosuke'd be able to buy that practice katana he'd seen in the window of his favorite weapons store. Instead of acknowledging her obvious statement, he bowed respectfully. His mother would kill him if she found out he didn't use any manners, after all. "My name is Uchiha Sanosuke. Thank you for allowing me into your home to have dinner with you and your daughter." He said, straightening.

She shook her head to rid herself from the shock and walked forward, offering him her hand. "Of course. Of course. It's nice to meet you. You're the…second youngest right? The elder Uchiha's pupil? It's an honor, I had no idea my daughter had made friends with you. I hope she isn't getting you into trouble." She smiled, getting a huff from her daughter.

"Mom! Geez!"

"Not too much, no." he replied, shaking his head. He took a quick scan of the apartment, the most noticeable feature being its size. Their entire living room was smaller than his bedroom back at his house. Of course he would never say such a thing when he did mention the place that they lived. He had been told once that you always compliment a person's house in some way, to better ease into the conversation. "You have a very nice home."

"Aw he's so polite too." The elder woman giggled, straightening up. "It's nice to meet you Sanosuke. I hope you like pork chops." She smiled, walking back into the kitchen.

Sanosuke looked back to Talia. "So…what do we do while we wait for your mother to finish cooking?" he asked. He'd never actually been over to someone else's house before, for dinner or anything else, so he didn't really know how he was supposed to behave.

The blonde girl looked over at him and shrugged. "Well there's games and stuff. Or we could go to my room. Whatever you want." She said happily.

He blinked. He had to pick? He didn't even know what to pick. "Um…we can go to your room I guess-I mean…yeah. Let's go to your room." He fought to keep down the embarrassed blush off his face. He wasn't supposed to show uncertainty or second guess himself, especially in front of others. His father and grandfather would be thoroughly disappointed if they had seen him in that moment.

"Okay!" Talia exclaimed, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the short hall. She opened the door and led him into the small abode. It fit a bed and a dresser barely, with a small vanity filled with costume jewelry. "Well this is it." She gestured, sitting down on her twin bed that was adorned with a floral print.

The young Uchiha looked around her room in slight awe. It was the size of his closet. He just didn't understand how she could live in such a tiny space. It made him wonder if by regular standards Talia and her mother were considered wealthy or poor, since he couldn't judge. His family was in possession of all of the money left behind by the many Uchiha that were killed in the massacre, not to mention what his parents and grandfather brought in when they went on missions. "What does your mother do?" he asked, standing a bit awkwardly in her doorway, since he didn't know what else to do.

Talia pat the spot next to her, signaling for him to sit. "She's a waitress at the restaurant by the park. And she does some other jobs sometimes."

"Oh." Was all he said as he took the necessary step to reach her bed. He slowly sat down on the edge, sitting with his back straight and his hands on his knees. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

She blinked, before looking up. "Hmm…I dunno, I never really thought about it. What about you? I mean I know you wanna be a ninja. But what do you want to do with it?"

"I want to make it into the Black Ops." He said without hesitation. "And one day become better than my grandfather."

"But isn't your mom the head of the Black Ops?" Talia wondered, swinging her legs.

He nodded. "Yes. My other siblings want to join too, so it'll be a bit of a competition as to who gets to succeed her when she decides to retire. So I'm going to work hard to set myself apart from them."

"What about being Hokage? Don't any of them want to take your dad's place?"

"Kanamé will probably take my dad's place, so that leaves Noriaki and Izayoi. My little brother is way too nice to ever survive in the Black Ops, so he'll most likely become a medic nin like my grandma and head the hospital when he's old enough." He explained.

"Your sister is _so _pretty." Talia giggled. "I saw her once with your dad. Her hair is so long and gorgeous and dark. Kinda like the night sky."

Sanosuke smiled slightly. "She's growing it out, the way the more traditional Uchiha women used to do."

"She's going to make some guy a very lucky man." She laughed, placing her hands on her knees.

His smile fell and his face became very serious. "No she's not. Izayoi will remain a pure angel forever and ever. My grandfather and father say so. There's no way they're going to let any man come near her. And if they manage to get by them, Kanamé and Noriaki will kill them." He said.

Her eyes widened slightly. "But…why? That's not very fair!"

His dark green locked with her vibrant amber. "Life isn't fair Talia. That's just the way things are." He said with a shrug.

"But that's like saying that every boy doesn't get a shot at a girl just because she has crazies for family." She explained, but was cut off when her mother called for them. Talia sighed and hopped up from her bed. "Come on, dinner's ready!" she said, before she took off towards the kitchen.

Sanosuke rose as well, following her back through the living room and into the small dining room. The aroma that reached his nose smelled like pork chops, though he could already tell that they wouldn't be as good as his mother's. But he wouldn't let that keep him from enjoying the food. He stopped next to the table and took in the appearance of the meal. As well as pork chops, Talia's mother had also made a mixture of vegetables. But whatever recipe she had used for the main dish must be something from a different village, because they just looked funny. And a little gross.

Keeping the look of disgust off his face, he took a seat across from Talia, scooting his chair in so that he was close to the table. Talia's mother sat down and smiled at the two. "Alright. Let's dig in." she said, piling their plates for them and then her own. She took a bite and made an appreciative noise. Talia did the same and smiled, making the same sound. Sanosuke cut himself a small bite and examined it a bit, before putting it into his mouth. His eyes widened, and he had to force himself not to gag at the flavor.

It was disgusting. Talia's mother's cooking was the worst thing he had ever tasted. He didn't even know how Talia could stomach this…this…crap. And that's what it was. Crap. He chewed it and swallowed it quickly, taking a huge gulp of water after that to wash down the horrible taste. "Wow…um…I've never tasted cooking like this before." He said, since he felt he should give her some kind of compliment to be polite. But he also didn't want to lie.

"Why thank you Sanosuke." The elder woman laughed, her bright smile returning. "I know it's not up to par with your mother or grandmother. Those pink haired girls are culinary geniuses. But thank you, I'm glad you like it. You're welcome to come by any time you want for dinner." She said and nodded to her daughter.

"Yeah Sano! Any time you want!" Talia reiterated.

"You're both…too kind." He strained, forcing himself to take another bite and eat some more. This would be the ultimate test of his ability to lie and play pretend, something he knew would be important when he was a ninja. So he would just have to eat everything on his plate and act like he liked it.

The rest of the meal was mostly spent with Talia and her mother talking to one another and every once and awhile asking Sanosuke a question or two. Which, he was grateful for, since the peace gave him all the concentration he needed to finish his meal. "So Sanosuke," Talia's mother began, directing her attention to him once again. "How do you like the ninja academy?"

"I hate it." he said, after finishing off his water.

"How come?"

"Because I know more than my teacher does, and the other kids take too long to learn the simplest of things." He explained.

Talia's mother waved off the statement. "But didn't your parents start teaching you abnormally early? After all, Hokage-sama is a wonderful ninja and Natsumi-sama is the daughter of the Kazekage. I'm sure you were at that level once."

The younger girl huffed. "Mom! Don't say that. He's an Uchiha. He was probably never at that level."

Sanosuke puffed his chest out slightly at Talia's praise of him. "My grandfather says that all Uchiha are born at least three years ahead of any normal ninja." He boasted.

"But what about your mother?" Talia's elder smiled, enjoying his defense. It was just so adorable.

He blinked. "What about her?"

"Well technically she's not an Uchiha." She pointed out, trying not to giggle. Talia's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh yeah…" she whispered, as if the thought had just occurred to her.

To this, he already had an argument. "But my mother has strived her entire life to become an Uchiha. Besides, she's also from a noble ninja family, so it wasn't too hard for her."

"I just think she's really cool." Talia said, giggling.

"Anyways do you two want dessert? I made mud pie." Talia's mother told the two, getting up as she grabbed their plates.

Sanosuke shook his head. He didn't think his stomach, or taste buds for that matter, could survive it if he ate anything more of hers his night. "No thank you. I ate too much of your pork chops to have any room for dessert."

"You sure?" she asked, glancing back at him. When he nodded she smiled and disappeared into the kitchen. Talia looked over at her friend and got up.

"I can walk you halfway home if you want. I have school tomorrow and it's getting kinda late."

He stood from his own chair and shook his head. "I cannot allow you to be outside by yourself on the walk back to your apartment. I can make it home on my own, and will travel much faster that way." He said.

Talia arched a curious brow. "I beg your pardon?" she huffed. "I've managed just fine up till this point in my life, so the only thing I gather from that is that you just don't want to walk with me."

His eyes widened as he realized his unknown blunder in his statement. "No! That's not it, I promise. It's just that you're a girl…I mean a lady, and as a gentleman I cannot just let you walk back home by yourself. You have to be escorted in order to be safe."

"That's the _stupidest_ thing I've ever heard in my whole life!" she yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "It's only halfway!" she glared, grabbing his hand and stomping out the door.

"But you could still get hurt!" he argued, though he let her drag him behind her.

She simply laughed and ran down the steps. "We're in the village. Much less likely!"

He scoffed. "It could still happen."

"But I'm not a flower!" she giggled. "I'm a diamond!"

He chose not to argue with her, instead just walking with her in the direction of his house. She was so strange, especially for a civilian. When they reached a spot that Talia deemed as halfway she slowed her pace until she stopped. "So, you want to hang out again sometime?" she asked, giving him a small smile as she clasped her hands behind her back.

"Yes." He said, maybe a little too quickly. She was his only friend, after all, and he knew it would make his mother happy that he was spending time with her, instead of training. "Um…you could come over to my house for dinner sometime. If you want."

Her smile grew and she nodded excitedly. "Okay! Sounds like fun! How about Saturday? I don't have school that day so we can hang out and maybe you can teach me some sneaky ninja stuff!"

He smirked slightly. "I dunno, you're a little noisy to be able to do sneaky stuff." He teased.

"_Hence_ the training brainiac." She retorted, setting her hands on her hips in a cocky fashion.

"Yeah yeah." He said, waving her off. "I'll see you Saturday Talia. Thanks for inviting me over for dinner." He told her, turning and beginning to walk off, shoving his hands in his pockets as he did so.

She waved after him. "Bye Sanosuke! See you later!" she called before turning around and running off, back to her home.

He waited a few seconds and then stopped, looking over his shoulder to make sure that her back was facing him fully. Satisfied, he ran after her and off to the side, using his knowledge and skills in stealth and speed to catch up to her. He followed her the rest of the way back to her apartment, watching as she ran up the stairs and went back inside. He didn't care if she was a diamond. Diamonds could still be hurt by other diamonds, and therefore needed to be protected.

Assured that she was safe, he headed home as fast as he could, since he didn't want his mother to worry. He knew she would wait for him to come back safely, and he didn't want her to get mad at him for cutting into hers and his father's fun time. Because when she didn't get her fun time, she got cranky.

It didn't take him long to get home, and when he did it was with the relieving knowledge that his older siblings were still up, and so he was in the clear. Hayate had probably already been put to bed, but that was okay with him. He was one less annoyance to deal with before going to sleep. "Mother, I'm home!" he called, slipping off his shoes before walking into the living room in search for the pink haired woman.

"Hi sweetheart! How was dinner at your friend's house?" Natsumi smiled brightly, looking up from her task of helping Izayoi with something that looked feathery.

"_Yeah_." A dark haired boy smirked, his features fierce and wild. "How was dinner with you _girlfriend_!"

Sanosuke glared at his brother, and instead of replying verbally, picked up a pillow from the couch and chucked it at him, nailing him in the side of the face. Then he continued his walk over to his mother and hugged her tightly. "Mommy, the food was so terrible." He lamented, burying his face against her. "But I made myself eat it all because I didn't wish to offend Talia's mother. And I had to lie about having a full tummy so that I wouldn't have to eat dessert."

The elder woman blinked and placed her hand on top of his head before laughing. "Oh darling, that's okay. We have some leftovers if you want something to eat to feel better."

Noriaki, the second of the triplets, laughed, having recovered from the hit. "What a lamo! You pretended to like her food!"

Kanamé tried to control the small smile that broke across his face as he attempted to quail his laughter. "That is pretty lame."

"Now boys." Natsumi scolded.

"I have to say I'm with them." Akito said as he entered the room. "Sorry sport, but you should have just lied and said you ate a lot for lunch. Try that next time." He smiled, ruffling Sanosuke's hair.

Sanosuke groaned, pulling away from Natsumi and taking a seat on the couch. "Having friends is so much work." He complained. Then he perked up slightly. "Oh, Mommy, can Talia come over for dinner on Saturday? I extended an invitation to her, since she invited me to her place."

Natsumi tore her glare from her husband and looked back to her son, giving him an encouraging smile. "Of course sweetie! That would be wonderful. I'll make something special and the rest of the family can meet your new friend." She nodded and stood, giving Akito another threatening look. "And don't lie Sanosuke. It only leads to disaster later on. If you allow it to build it might blow up in your face like it did for a certain _someone_." The pink haired woman warned, snapping her fingers as she headed out of the room. "N.I.K. Let's go. Time for bed." She ordered, getting all three the triplets' attention.

They groaned in unison and followed after her, but not before Izayoi kissed her father goodnight. Sanosuke watched his siblings follow their mother down the hall. Then he looked to his father. "What did you lie about father?" he asked.

Akito sighed. "Lots of things." He said, getting up from the couch. "Now come on. You know it's your bedtime when the triplets go to sleep." He said, ushering his son into his room. After saying goodnight, Akito left, off to tuck his other children into bed. Sanosuke just lay there, waiting for his mother to come in, like she always did before he fell asleep.

He didn't have to wait long, because she was soon in the room and sat on the edge of his bed. "I'm so glad you found a friend Sanosuke. I really like her. She seems very nice."

He gave her a small smile. "She thinks you're very pretty, and she likes your hair a lot." He told her.

This made Natsumi smile. "Does she? How sweet. Well I can't wait to have her over." She said, leaning over and kissing his forehead. "Sleep well little love." She whispered, getting up and leaving the room as gracefully as she had come in.

His smile widened, and he snuggled into his sheets and rolled over, letting out a content sigh as he closed his eyes. Only to have them snap open as he realized what he'd done. Talia was coming over for dinner. That meant extended time with his family, including Noriaki. He groaned, burying his face in his pillow. If his other siblings didn't scare her off, his older brother most certainly would.


	3. Reciprocation

**Enigma**

_Chapter Three_

-Reciprocation-

That Saturday, Sanosuke was, in Uchiha terms, a nervous wreck. He'd gotten up super early and trained with his grandfather, before training with his father. Then he'd showered, and picked up the few things that were out of place in his room. He assumed Talia would want to see it, after all, and he couldn't give her a bad impression of him.

The rest of his day had been spent helping his mother around the house, in any way that she needed, as well as keeping Hayate preoccupied. Sometimes, if he wasn't watched carefully, the youngest Uchiha would get into mischief and possibly hurt himself or break something. Or, Noriaki would get a hold of him and test something on him, whether it was a move, jutsu, or even a kind of prank that Noriaki wanted to do on someone else, he just wanted to make sure it would work out the way he wanted it too.

When it became later in the day, and Natsumi had started dinner, Sanosuke knew it was time for him to go pick Talia up. He didn't expect her to walk all the way to his house after all, since despite having been there before, it might still be hard for her to find. He put his shoes on, before going into the kitchen to inform his mother of his departure.

"Mother, I'm gonna go and get Talia now. I'll be back soon." He said, stopping next to her.

The pink haired woman glanced down and smiled. "Alright sweetheart be careful and hurry back."

"Yeah Sano, go pick up your _girlfriend_." Noriaki sneered, smirking deviously at his brother from the other side of Natsumi.

Sanosuke's eyes narrowed. "At least I have a friend Nori." He replied, before turning on his heel and walking out of the kitchen. Normally he would have stayed to finish out his argument with his brother, but it wouldn't do to be late getting Talia.

It didn't take him long to travel through the village to her apartment, and when he reached it, he knocked loudly on her door. Then he took a step back, and clasped his hands behind his back as he waited for the door to be answered.

It flew open and before he could react Talia was hugging him tightly. "Sano!" she cheered excitedly, finally touching her feet back down and looking up at him. "How are you?"

"…Good." he said softly, still shocked from the contact he had just had with her. That was definitely unexpected. He shook his head slightly to snap out of his daze. "How are you?" he asked, hoping that she hadn't caught on to his momentary discomfort. The only person who really hugged him was his mother, aunts, and grandmother. The males of his family ruffled his hair, shook his hand, or nudged him as a show of affection.

"I'm doing good." She said happily, grabbing the knob of the door. "Bye mom!" she yelled into the apartment before shutting it. "Come on! Let's go! I'm so excited!" the blonde bounced, dragging him down the steps.

When they reached the street her pace slowed, but only slightly. "Everyone else is excited too…" he trailed off, thinking about all of the teasing he had endured the entire week about this from his siblings. Even Hayate had joined in. "Just don't let anything my brothers say bother you. Especially Noriaki. Izayoi will probably be nice, since you're a girl." He warned her.

Talia scoffed. "I'm not afraid of Uchihas, so don't even sweat it." She assured.

His lips puckered to show his disbelief, since she had yet to be around them all. But he didn't say anything. Soon they were entering the Uchiha District, and walking up the steps to Sanosuke's house. He opened the door for her, allowing her to enter before he did. Once inside he slipped off his shoes, and Talia did the same. He wouldn't even bother announcing their arrival, since he didn't want to be pestered by any of his family members before dinner was ready. His mother could sense his sand anyways, so as long as she knew he was home, things were good.

He turned to Talia then. "So what do you want to do?" he asked.

"Well it's your house," she smirked. "So whatever you want."

"No." he shook his head and crossed his arms. "I picked last time. You're the guest, you pick." He said. There was no way he was going to be put on the spot in his own home. This was his territory, and he would rule it.

"Nope." She giggled, smiling brightly.

"Yes." He replied, not willing to budge.

"Whatever you think is most interesting." Talia smirked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Which would be whatever you want to do. So pick something." He ordered, beginning to get aggravated with her. Why was she being so difficult? It wasn't fair if he always had to pick what they did, not that he even wanted too. He was still learning how this whole friendship thing worked anyways.

Talia huffed, growing flustered. "I don't know okay! I've never been in the Uchiha District before a couple days ago!" she said, throwing her hands in the air.

Sanosuke sighed. "Well you could have said so in the first place." He reprimanded slightly. "Come on, I'll show you around my house. We can start there." He suggested, his lip lifting slightly in a small smile.

A dark blush spread across her face at her own silliness, but she decided to remain quiet to try and save herself from further humiliation. Sanosuke led her down the hall and touched his hand to a large door. "This is the training room. I'm in here almost every-" he began, opening the door to have a dark explosion of ink douse the two of them.

Talia blinked, attempting to rub the bulk of it off her face. "What the heck?" she wondered aloud, only to hear a loud laughter coming from inside the room. When she looked inside she saw one of the older Uchiha boys and new instantaneously that it must be Noriaki.

"Look at your faces!" he burst into another fit of laughs, holding his sides as he bent over.

Sanosuke glared at his brother, and before Noriaki could react, had tackled him to the ground. "Noriaki you jerk!" he shouted, trying to strangle him. He should have expected something like this from his brother, but part of him had hoped that he would try to behave when they had company.

The elder only continued to laugh, until he shoved off his younger brother. "Get off me." He ordered, flipping him and pinning him to the ground, holding one of his hands back in an almost painful twist. "You gonna behave now Sano?" Noriaki sneered.

Talia ran over to the two and shoved Noriaki off of Sanosuke. "Get off you insano!" she yelled, actually causing Noriaki to fall off and glare up at the girl with blood red eyes.

The blonde went wide eyed and backed up, having never seen the sharingan so close before. But then a look of confusion crossed Noriaki's façade. "What the…" he trailed off, focusing harder, the tomoe spinning threateningly. Talia just stared in fear. Why were they moving? But nothing happened. "What the fuck." The older Uchiha snapped, now even angrier.

Sanosuke stood and shoved his brother, his own sharingan activated. "How dare you try and put her into a genjutsu!" he said. "She's just a civilian!" Then he paused and looked at Talia. "Wait…why isn't it working?" he asked, confused.

Both boys closed in on Talia, making her eyes widen further, if possible, and the two stared down at her with their birthright. She looked back and forth from each of their eyes, noticing that they were both concentrating very hard. "Why isn't what working?" she asked softly.

Noriaki and Sanosuke blinked, both their jaws dropping slightly. "You…aren't being affected by our genjutsu." Sanosuke explained. Then he looked to his brother. "We should ask dad to try one on her when he gets home. Maybe our eyes just aren't developed enough."

"Yeah we should." Noriaki nodded. Talia still appeared confused, and then closed her eye as she winced slightly.

"Can I get a towel or something, or maybe the bathroom and some clothes to change into?" she asked, attempting to rub her eye from the foreign substance.

Sanosuke's eyes widened slightly and changed back to green as he realized how thoughtless he was being. "Of course. I'll ask Izayoi if she has something you can borrow while we wash your clothes." he said, grabbing her hand and leading her from the room. They went down the hall and stopped before a door. He knocked, waiting for the soft sound of permission before opening the door and walking inside with Talia. "Iza, can you please help Talia wash up, and can she borrow some of your clothes?"

The dark haired girl looked up from her calligraphy and smiled at the two, before it fell right off her face. Then she sighed, "Noriaki?"

The two nodded and Izayoi sighed, but smiled once more. "Of course." She said, getting up and finding some clothes that Talia could wear. With those in hand the Uchiha female took Talia's hand and led her back out and to the bathroom, where the two girls disappeared.

Knowing that Talia was in good hands, Sanosuke went into his room and grabbed some clean clothes, before going into the other bathroom to wash up. When he finished, he saw that the girls were still occupied, which was typical. So he put his clothes in his hamper, and then went into the kitchen, where Natsumi was finishing up dinner. "Hey Mom." He said, automatically getting down some dishes so he could help her set the table.

"Hello sweetheart." The pink haired woman smiled, glancing back and then around. "I thought your friend was here. What was all that commotion in the back?"

"Noriaki rigged the training room door to pour black ink into our faces when I opened it, so Iza is helping her clean up and change clothes." he told her, getting out some silverware. He secretly hoped they kind of became friends too, because it would be a bonus if his sister liked Talia as well.

This made the woman sigh. "What is wrong with that boy?" Natsumi wondered aloud, shaking her head. "Thanks sweetie. Your dad should be home any minute now, so whenever he and the girls are done we'll eat."

Sanosuke stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "Okay." He said, picking up everything and taking it into the dining room to set the table. Before he was even done with that he heard the front door open and knew that his father was home. Akito walked straight into the kitchen and embraced his wife.

"Something smells good." he murmured, nipping her ear. "Would that be you, or dinner?" he asked, nuzzling her neck playfully.

Natsumi giggled, glancing back at her love. "I did use that new perfume you bought me today."

"Mmm," he licked along her jaw. "Delectable." He whispered, turning her in his arms before kissing her passionately.

The pink haired woman snuggled into her husband, holding onto him tightly. "Darling…we have company so no appetizer tonight." She almost moaned out.

Akito groaned, kissing a trail down her throat. "But I want you so badly baby." He said, stopping at the edge of her shirt and straightening, looking down at her. "You realize with this delay desert is going to be extra sweet later." He smirked, rubbing his hands up and down her sides.

She shivered and smirked up at him. "Don't tempt me." She groaned, rubbing against him. There was a cough and the two looked back to see Izayoi and Talia in the doorway.

"Jeez, chillax you two, for at least an hour will ya?" the dark haired girl smirked.

"Yes. Please." Sanosuke said, standing next to them.

Akito chuckled. "Okay." He said, kissing his wife before releasing her. His gaze moved to Talia and lit with a hint of intrigue. "Ah, you're the girl that got in trouble with Sano last week." He observed. "Talia, correct?"

"Yes sir, Hokage-sama." She nodded respectfully, before bowing slightly.

"You may call me Akito-sama when not in a formal setting Talia, it's alright." the elder Uchiha told her.

She nodded and smiled slightly, until Noriaki burst into the room. "Dad! Sano's friend's eyes are broken!"

He frowned in confusion. "What?"

Sanosuke decided to clear things up. "Nori tried to put Talia in a genjutsu, but it didn't work. We think they don't affect her."

Akito crossed his arms and gave his second oldest son a stern look. "You used your sharingan on her? Why?" he asked, disapproval evident in his tone.

"She attacked me." Noriaki scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "It was an instinctual act."

Talia seemed confused for the millionth time. "A what?"

"Trying to put her into a genjutsu is not instinctual." Akito said. "And I'm sure she didn't attack you for no reason."

"He rigged the training room door to pour black ink in our faces." Sanosuke deadpanned.

At this Akito's frown deepened. "What."

"I don't see what the big deal is…" Noriaki huffed. "You do it to mom all the time."

At this Natsumi's eyes widened and her cheeks turned a dark red. "That is for a different reason and _how_ do you know about that?"

Talia let out an annoyed groan. "What the heck is a genjutsu?" she finally yelled, getting everyone's attention.

"It's an illusionary attack that sends your opponent into another world of sorts, where their mind is what's being attacked, though it feels like it's really happening to your body. Some are stronger than others, and depending on that, can be really difficult to get out of." Sanosuke recited. "Our sharingan make it easy for us to use them, as well as aiding in the strength of the genjutsu we use. It's done through eye contact, though some are good enough to be able to use their fingers instead of just their eyes, like my Uncle Itachi could. The fact that you weren't even affected is a really big deal."

"But…" she blinked, looking at the shocked group. "I'm not a ninja. I don't even have chakra…"

"Maybe you're special." Izayoi beamed, holding up a pointed finger.

"Your dad was a ninja, so maybe you got it from him." Sanosuke said. "Besides, everyone has chakra. It's what keeps us alive. Civilians just don't have a lot, and don't know how to use it the way ninja do."

Akito held his hands up. "Alright, enough. Dinner is getting cold. Izayoi, would you please go and get your brothers? They're over at your grandfather's house. And Noriaki, after dinner I want you to clean up the training room. Your real punishment will begin tomorrow during training."

The boy scoffed. "Please dad, I can handle anything you dish out. And I already cleaned the doorway while the little wieners were cleaning up." He smirked, walking into the dining room. Natsumi groaned and shook her head, running her hand down her face.

"Oh my gosh. That boy." she sighed, following after him.

Talia rolled her eyes and looked over at Sanosuke. "He's annoying."

"At least you don't have to live with him." he said. "Come on, you can sit next to me." He turned and headed into the dining room, pulling out the chair next to his customary seat at the table. She did as she was told and sat in the chair, giving him a small smile.

"Everything looks delicious Natsumi-sama."

"Why thank you Talia." Natsumi beamed, beginning to prepare the plates. Izayoi came back in then, with Hayate skipping behind her and Kanamé skulking in, obviously sulking.

"Sup everyone."

Akito raised a brow. "What's up with you Kanamé?" he asked, glancing back to his father, who had just entered the room. Sasuke lifted a shoulder in a shrug and then sat down at the end of the table as everyone else took their seats.

"Nothing…just the usual." He sighed.

Natsumi shook her head and gave Sasuke a stern look. "Don't worry Kanamé, I'll train you tomorrow."

"No!" the eldest almost yelled, turning a bit red from embarrassment. "I mean…you're just so busy mom. Don't worry about it, I love training with grandfather."

The pink haired woman blinked, slowing in her preparation. She appeared confused, but shrugged and continued to make up plates for everyone. "I'll train you tomorrow." Akito said, taking his seat as everyone else did. "Noriaki needs to run some drills anyways, so while he's doing that you and I can work on some stuff."

"I don't need to run no drills!" Noriaki exclaimed.

Talia let out an annoyed huff. "Drills are important for learning anything, idiot."

The dark haired boy glared at the blonde. "Mother, I hate Sanosuke's friend. She's annoying and kinda bitchy."

"Noriaki!" Natsumi coughed out, since she had been eating. "Language!"

Sanosuke glared at his brother. "Well you're an asshole. So get over yourself." he said.

Natsumi slammed her hands on the table and gave them all a silencing look. "The next child who curses at my table will be the one to suffer my unending wrath. Are we clear?" she asked through clenched teeth, getting nods all around. "Good. Now behave. We have a guest."

Talia blinked, avoiding her gaze. Man was the Hokage's wife scary up close. Hayate smiled widely. "Don't worry mommy, I never say bad words! Cause' they're not nice!" he declared.

"Everyone uses bad words Hayate." Sasuke said quietly, not even looking up from his meal. "Someday you will too, so saying that you won't is just a lie."

The five year old gasped. "But I don't lie either!" he said, a distraught look coming to his face.

"Sasuke don't discourage the children from behaving." Natsumi warned, pointing her fork at the elder Uchiha.

"I agree." Izayoi spoke politely. "I would like to refrain from speaking ill of others."

Before an argument could begin between his father and wife, Akito looked to their guest. "So Talia, what does your mother do?" he asked.

Talia look up, a bit shocked everything was now focused on her, especially since it was the Hokage speaking to her. "Oh…um, she's a waitress at Hana's and cleans and stuff around the village."

"Interesting." The elder replied, actually looking like he was curious about what normal people did. "And what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I don't really know." She shrugged. "All I really do is play all day and stuff. I don't wanna be a waitress though, my mom says I should marry some rich aristocrat so I can be better off."

Natsumi almost choked on her food. "Well you can't do that!"

"Logically it is the best option." Sanosuke said, looking up at his mother. "I mean really, the chances of falling a love is decreasing as the years go on, and the chances that it will work out and you will live happily with one another are even less."

Akito looked at his son. "Sano, you know that's not true."

"Yes it is." He blinked, undeterred. "I did the math based on my class at the academy, and that's what I came up with."

Natsumi flipped up her steak knife and flung it just like a kunai across the table, just barely missing her father-in-law, whose bored, red gaze was now focused on her. "Stop teaching my children terrible things! Or you won't get to see them anymore!"

"Mommy," Sanosuke said, getting her attention. "Grandfather didn't teach me that. I came up with it on my own. Besides, he doesn't have a significant other, and he's perfectly happy." To this, Akito snorted.

"Yeah…cause' that's an emotion he feels." He shook his head, earning a glare from his sire.

"I have been happy before in my life." Sasuke defended, his eyes fading back into their dark luster. "Maybe not around you, but it's happened."

Noriaki snickered, "Yeah only when it was with grandpa and grandma that one-"

"Noriaki!" Natsumi shrieked, turning beet red. "Never speak of that!"

Talia stared at the group, wide eyed and absolutely muddled. "I don't understand what's happening." She said softly.

"Trust me." Izayoi sighed. "You don't want to."

Hayate blinked. "What happened?" he asked, looking at all of his family members. Then he looked to his grandfather. "What did you do with grandma and grandpa?"

Sasuke gave him a blank stare. "We made waffles." He stated, before standing. "I have some things to attend to." He turned and left the room then, before anyone could say another word.

Akito gave his wife a confused, and yet horrified look. "What?" he breathed out, numerous possibilities running through his mind at what his father's comment had been. He knew that making waffles really meant having sex, but he didn't want to believe that that was what had really occurred between his elder and his wife's parents.

Natsumi sighed and pat her husband's leg. "I'll tell you later sweetheart…when we don't have certain ears."

"What's so bad if they just made waffles?" Talia blurted out, looking around the table. "Were they gross and soggy?"

"Ewww!" Kanamé gasped out, shaking his head to rid himself of the images. "Gross and soggy waffles?"

Talia blinked, her confused look turning into an annoyed one. She was so tired of not knowing what was going on. Sanosuke looked at her, his eyes slightly widened. "Don't talk about waffles." He whispered. "Hayate doesn't know about that yet, and my mom wants to keep him innocent for as long as possible."

Just then the youngest Uchiha piped up. "What's waffles Mommy?" he asked, pausing in his eating.

"Oh Hayate! Aren't you cute." Natsumi laughed loudly, waving off the matter. "Don't you want to color mommy a gorgeous picture?"

"Oh yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. "Yes, yes, YES!" he smiled brightly, running out of the room to get his coloring book and crayons.

Akito shook his head. "That was dirty baby." He placed his hand on her thigh and smiled at her. "I like it."

"We have a guest father." Sanosuke almost groaned, hitting his head on the table.

"It's okay." Talia giggled. "Everyone knows that the Hokage and Natsumi-sama do bad things in the sanctity of the Hokage's office."

"And the Anbu Headquarters," Akito added, kissing his wife before making a trail across her jaw, "and the hot springs, and the training fields, and the Hokage Mountains," he nibbled on the spot that connected her shoulder and neck, while sliding his hand up her side towards her breast, "and one of my favorites, the classrooms at the-"

"Dad!" Sanosuke said, completely horrified.

Izayoi stood and grabbed her plate. "I will finish in my room." She said, leaving them. Kanamé and Noriaki looked at one another before doing the same and following their sister out. Talia avoided her gaze from the giggling woman and her Hokage. "So Sanosuke you wanna go out and play?"

"I just wanna get out of here." The ebony haired boy said, getting up quickly and grabbing Talia's hand. He dragged her out of the room behind him, taking her through the living room and down a hallway. They turned left then and entered a bedroom that was sparsely furnished. All it had was a bed, a dresser, and a bookshelf, filled with books and scrolls that all had to do with fighting and jutsu. Nothing hung on the walls, and not a thing was out of place. "This is my room." He announced. "Since you didn't get to see it earlier."

Talia looked around, walking in further and nodding. "Pretty simple. Is it like…a guy thing?"

He looked at her. "Hayate's room is pretty decorated." He said. "I just don't like clutter all that much."

She glanced back at him and smiled. "I know, I can tell you're kinda high strung. But that's probably cause' you're an Uchiha high off your name." she snickered.

"It's not my fault everyone else is weak." He stated with a shrug. "So…what do you want to do now? I don't really have any games, but my siblings might."

Talia shook her head and ran back to him, taking his hands in hers. "I don't really wanna see you're siblings. Let's just us hang out in here."

A slight blush came to his face from their simple contact, on top of the fact that he had never had anyone, not even a girl for that matter, in his room before. And in all honesty, he didn't know what to do at this point. "Okay." He eventually said.

The blonde girl's smile grew as she pulled him over to his bed where they both sat. "Okay, so I was thinking about that question your dad asked me, about what I want to be when I'm older." She bubbled. "And I figured since you're going to be a ninja and going on really dangerous missions, that I'll work in the hospital, so any time you get hurt I could help you get better!"

"Really?" he asked, surprised. "You would do that?"

"Well yeah! I mean I like helping people get better when they're sad, and taking care of people when they're sick. I just didn't really think about it until now." She laughed, rubbing the back of her head.

He gave her a small smile. "That's…pretty cool." He laughed slightly. "I'll even teach you some stuff if you want. About first aid and whatnot."

"How will that help me get better on my own if you're always telling me what to do?" She smirked, giving him a playful nudge. "I can't have you being all awesome and me being lame. Cause' Uchiha always have the best right? That's what everyone else always says."

Sanosuke's brows drew together. "Are you saying you want to marry me?" he asked, a small panic beginning to build inside of him. There was just no way he would survive an obsessed little girl like his father did, despite that girl turning into his mother. He just didn't have the tolerance for it. Not to mention she was a civilian, and if he were ever to marry, it would have to be a strong ninja in order to please his parents and grandparents.

She gave him an odd look, keeping the hurt off her face from the reaction. It wasn't like she had been thinking about marriage. "I was actually just talking about being friends, but I didn't realize that thought was so terrible." Talia huffed, crossing her arms and hopping up from his bed.

His eyes widened and he rushed after her, grabbing her hand to keep her from opening his door. "No! I want to be friends!" he said earnestly. "I just…I've never had one before…and I don't really know how this works. It's…the only thing I'm not good at." He admitted. "Being around people, I mean."

"Well you could start by stopping the fact you overanalyze _everything_. Why on earth would I talk about marriage? I'm only seven years old for goodness sake." She stuck her tongue out at him, shaking her head.

"My mother talked about marrying my father when she was six." He defended, crossing his arms.

Talia rolled her eyes. "No offense, but your mom is kind of a freak. Normal people aren't that obsessed with boys and besides, your mom and dad are soul mates and when you know, you know."

He just continued to stare at her. "Hn."

She arched a curious brow. "Hn?"

"Ch." He almost scoffed.

Talia rolled her eyes once more. "Weirdo."

"It's getting late, I'll walk you home." He declared, grabbing her hand and leading her to his front door. They both put on their shoes and left then, not even telling Sanosuke's parents that they were leaving. His mother would sense it, and besides, they were busy making waffles, and you _never_ interrupted waffle time. Not unless you wanted to be scarred for life and then thoroughly punished for it later. As if the sight wasn't punishment enough.

The walk back to Talia's was relatively quiet, and the entire way, Sanosuke was preoccupied with his racing thoughts. Talia was being quieter than usual. Had he offended her? Hurt her feelings? What if she could no longer stand him now that she had met his family? Or what if it was because she didn't like him? Because usually when people got to know him, even a little bit, they didn't like to be around him. He didn't understand what he did wrong though. Correcting people when they are wrong is doing them a favor. Besides, it's not his fault that they are stupid.

It wasn't long until they were in front of Talia's door. Sanosuke stopped and shoved his hands in his pockets. What was he supposed to say to her? If she didn't like him anymore, then anything he said would just be weird. Then he remembered that his mother would kill him if he didn't use his manners, and so he decided to just go with that and see where it took him. "Thank you for coming to dinner."

"No problem." Talia smiled, looking over at him. "As weird and crazy as it was, it was fun. Your family is very interesting."

"Yeah…" he sighed, meeting her amber gaze. "Are you busy tomorrow?" he asked, hoping her answer was no. "Cause' I'm still grounded, so since I can't train I have all this free time."

Her light expression fell slightly, "Oh…uh…not really I guess." She smiled, recovering from her emotional tremor. It made her slightly sad that he only wanted to do something when he couldn't do what he really wanted. "Why do you want to hang out or something?"

"Well when I can train once again I don't know how often I'll be allowed to hang out with you." he explained, completely oblivious of how his words had affected her. "My grandfather is very strict, and he usually trains me the most. So I thought that since I can't train, we could hang out as much as possible before I have to start in a few days. But we don't have to if you have other stuff to do." He said hastily, his eyes widening. "Or you know, other friends you want to see." He seemed to dim slightly as the thought occurred to him. Talia was a happy, social girl after all, and she was normal. So of course she had lots of other friends. It only made sense.

"Hm…" she pondered for a moment. "We'll see." She smiled, waving at him as she turned to head up to her apartment. "See you later Sanosuke, you should probably think a little bit on how you word things and don't be so literal." Talia giggled and waved once more before she disappeared up the steps.

Sanosuke just looked confused. What did that mean? Don't be so literal? He wasn't that literal. Maybe she just took everything he said too literally. He thought as he turned back towards his house. But then again maybe he was just overanalyzing everything. Apparently he did that a lot, because Talia wasn't the first person to point that out to him. He sighed. Now he didn't even know if he would get to hang out with her tomorrow or not.

So what was he supposed to do?

His only option was to just arrive at her house early in the morning and wait to see if she left to hang out with her other friends. If there was no movement at noon, then he would make his move and form solid plans with her to hang out. They could feed ducks in the park or something.

With a nod, he picked up his pace, knowing that his mother would be upset if he arrived home after dark.


	4. Instruction

**Enigma**

_Chapter Four_

-Instruction-

Sanosuke stared at the door to Talia's apartment from his vantage point across the street. So far there had been no sign of movement. Her mother had left about two hours ago to go to work, but Talia had yet to emerge, or even open any of the windows. But why? Was she like his mother in that she enjoyed sleeping in as late as possible when allowed? It _was_ Sunday, after all, and school would resume for the week tomorrow.

He waited for another hour, even staying hidden in the tree as he ate the sandwich he had made for himself early this morning. He'd left his parents a note on the fridge that he would be out in the village today, learning, but not training.

What Talia had said yesterday had made him think. He knew he wasn't very sociable, and on top of that, he sucked at being friends with someone. He only had one friend, and already he was having difficulty in keeping them.

But he wanted to stay friends with her. She was very interesting, not to mention normal. Having a normal person amongst all of the crazy ones in his family would be a welcome change. Talia could teach him about civilians and other things about the world that he would never be able to learn as a ninja, no matter how hard he tried. All in all, she would be a great asset to his life.

That was another reason why he was here. He was going to ask her to teach him how to be normal, like her. Or at least try. And while they did this, their bond as friends would grow, and she would want to continue to hang out with him. Because if he lost her as a friend his mother would kill him, not to mention be very disappointed in him. And he couldn't handle that.

His senses came to alert then when the door to Talia's apartment opened and the blonde stepped out. She closed and locked the door, before heading down the steps. Sanosuke dropped from the tree branch he was on, landing on his feet before walking over to the entrance of her building, meeting her there just as she reached the bottom. "Teach me." He said by way of greeting, startling the young girl.

Talia jumped slightly from the instant invasion of her space, but as she took note of who it was, she smiled. "Hey Sanosuke."

"Teach me." he repeated.

The blonde blinked, growing confused. "Teach you what?"

"You know…how to be…" He shifted a bit in embarrassment, "friendly. And stuff."

"Well you could start by not creeping on people's houses." she smirked, setting her hands on her hips.

His blank façade returned, though it was marred with confusion. "Yesterday when I asked if you wanted to hang out today or if you had plans, you said, 'we'll see'. So I waited here in order to see." He said matter-of-factly. "You also said you would see me later, and today is later. I was simply following instructions, not creeping."

She arched a curious brow and was clearly trying not to laugh, "Yeah but you don't sit in a tree watching their house."

Sanosuke's mouth dropped open slightly in surprise. "How did you know I was in the tree? I made sure to conceal myself adequately."

"Well it is my tree after all, I think I would know when it looked different or not." she huffed, not bothering to conceal her triumph. "Just cause' I'm not a ninja doesn't mean I can't be mega awesome." Talia said, breaking into a fit of giggles.

"Well," he huffed, glancing off before returning his deep gaze to her. "Can you teach me to be more normal or not?" he crossed his arms.

The blonde rolled her eyes and pushed his arms down so they were hanging at his sides. "First lesson, stop crossing your arms. It makes you look guarded and, thus, unapproachable."

He frowned. This was going to be harder than he thought. "What else?"

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was definitely going to be an exhausting day. "Alright let's get to a more convenient location." Talia smiled, taking Sanosuke's hand and leading him off into the village. They came to a slow once they reached the busy market plaza, where kids played and drew in the middle of the square, and adults shopped around to prepare meals for the night. "Okay Sano, this…is a social gathering." She gestured to all the shops, restaurants, and café's. "You see how everyone is not only busy, but happy. The villager's chit chat with the vendors, kids play with their friends, people meet for lunch and catch up."

"So they're wasting time." He stated, watching everyone.

Talia's hand fell and she looked back at Sanosuke with a somewhat annoyed frown. "So it's a waste of time to see people you love?"

"But why would you talk to the vendors?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Wouldn't you want to just buy what you came for and leave, therefore minimizing the time it would take to finish your errands?"

She hit him over the head and gave him a hard glare. "No! It's nice to talk with people and ask how they are doing. When you extend friendly words, it makes people feel good about themselves. Making people happy and feel good about themselves is a good thing. Because it makes you feel good."

He gave her a light glare and rubbed his head. "So how does one go about doing such a thing?"

"Just walk up to someone, smile and say 'Hi', it's that easy." She smiled and then glanced around. "Here, I'll show you." Talia walked off then and headed towards a small fruit stand. She smiled as she came to a stop and looked over the produce. "How are you doing today, Nana-sama? Everything looks so yummy!"

"Oh Talia!" the older woman smiled back, appearing pleased. "I am wonderful. My little grandbaby started walking the other day. He's getting so big."

The blonde girl laughed. "I'm sure he is, that's good to hear. Well you have a nice day! I'll see you later." She waved as she walked back to Sanosuke. "See, easy."

The young Uchiha pouted slightly and crossed his arms. "Easy for you." he said. Then he remembered his first lesson and let his arms fall to his sides. "I don't even know any of these people."

"Then just go and buy some fruit and strike up a conversation."

"…you're joking." He deadpanned.

She gave him a warning glance. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

"Well what am I supposed to say?"

Finally she let out a sigh. "Okay, we'll start out easy…so just walk up to a stand…and say…hello. That's it, and smile too."

The look he gave her was an incredulous one. "What? No." he shook his head. "I don't just smile for no reason. And _definitely_ not to someone I don't know. A smile from me is like a gift from above."

Talia simply stared at him. Was he _really_ that vain? She nodded somewhat to herself. He was Natsumi-sama's son. It sounded something like the pink haired assassin would say. That was when an idea struck her and the blonde girl feigned a sigh and somewhat disappointment. "I suppose you're right…I just thought that maybe since you were an Uchiha you could pull off a real fake smile. After all, not every smile is real and genuine, but they are nice. I guess I was just thinking that, like most Uchihas, you'd be able to manipulate someone like that." She shook her head and set her hands on her hips. "Oh well…guess I gave you too much credit."

Sanosuke stepped forward so that their faces were close. "You didn't give me enough credit." He said. "And I'll prove it."

He turned and walked away from her, marching over to the same fruit vendor that Talia had spoken to moments before. He began to smile, though it was tight. No, he needed to be convincing. He was an Uchiha. He knew his older brothers would be able to do this successfully, and so he would too. He relaxed his muscles and smiled one more, clearing his throat. "Hello." He greeted, smiling up at the older woman. "I would like to buy some fruit please."

"Oh my! Well if it isn't little Uchiha Sanosuke!" the woman beamed back, brightening. "How are you doing young man? Following in your mommy's footsteps is what I heard. You were the one to declare you would beat your brothers and sister to Anbu, weren't you?"

His smile actually turned somewhat genuine. "Yes ma'am. I want to become the head of the Anbu when I'm older."

"Well I wish you luck young man, you know that you look just like your grandfather. But you're cute and kind as your mother. You're a lot like Natsumi-sama. I'm sure she's so proud of you." she smiled, grabbing a few strawberries and placing them in a bag. "Here you go sweetie, enjoy a few."

"Thank you." He took the bag from her. "Have a nice day." He said, before turning and walking back over to Talia, who had a smug look on her face. His smile fell a bit. "I'm still not going to do that every time I go out to purchase something." He told her, opening the bag and taking out a strawberry. Then he held it out to her, silently offering her some as he bit into the delicious red fruit.

She took the offered fruit and bit down. "Yummy!" she smiled, clapping her hands together. "But that was amazing. Your smile is so pretty."

He blushed slightly. Then he looked away and crossed his arms. "That's why it's a gift from above." He scoffed as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

Talia blinked and shook her head, pushing his arms down once more. "It's not so cute when you act like a jerk." She frowned.

"Sorry." He said honestly, taking out the last two strawberries and giving her one of them. "Do you want to go walk around the park? We could feed the ducks or something…"

She smiled, taking the strawberry from him. "Okay, but when we get some bread you have to smile and ask the store clerk how they are." Talia snickered, nibbling on her fruit.

"But I don't want to." He whined as they walked towards the bread stand. "Can't I just be polite and not smile?"

"Nope. This is your test for today's subjects." Talia smirked.

He let out a resigned sigh, preparing for his test. The rest of the day he and Talia spent feeding the ducks, and she told him more about being normal and friendly. As the sun began to set, he walked her home before heading back to his own. And when he walked through the door of his home, he went and found his mother in the kitchen finishing dinner.

Natsumi smiled at him over her shoulder. "Hey Sano, how was your day about the village?" she asked.

"Mommy it was terrible." He pouted, hugging her around the waist. "Talia made me smile and be nice to strangers. And then she made me have conversations with them." He told her.

Natsumi blinked, looking down at her son, confused out of her mind. "Huh?"

He looked up at her, but didn't release his hold on her. "I asked her to teach me how to be friendly." He explained. "Being friendly is so much work though. I don't like it."

"Oh sweetheart, of course it's hard. You take after your selfish daddy." She smirked, patting his head and running her fingers through his dark locks.

He stuck out his lower lip in a pout. "Well I'm not making any more friends. Talia is enough." He stated.

"She's a pretty little girl. I like her very much, I'm glad she's your friend Sano." Natsumi smiled, breaking away from him and pushing him towards the door, "Now go wash up for dinner. It's almost ready and your grandfather will be here any minute from training Noriaki. So we'll need a diffuser tonight, and you know Iza and Kanamé only take grandfather's side when it doesn't concern their thirty-three percent."

Sanosuke gave her a small smile. "Yes mommy." He said, turning to go and do what she had instructed.

He was glad that him having a friend made her happy. But he didn't lie when he said that he would only have Talia as a friend. Friends were a lot of work, and it appeared that the blonde would keep him plenty busy when he wasn't training or at school. And how right this assessment would turn out to be.


	5. Scare

**Enigma**

_Chapter Five_

-Scare-

_**One year later…**_

A bored Sanosuke walked down the streets of Konoha, headed for his best, and only friend's house. Ever since meeting a year ago, he and Talia had spent as much time together as they could. He knew that as he got older he would see her less and less, as his ninja career would kick off and he would be sent away on more missions.

He walked up the steps to her apartment and knocked on the door once he arrived. Today they were going to go shopping. He didn't really need to buy anything, but apparently girls required a new wardrobe when school was starting up again. And the blonde was really excited, because her mother had been able to save up even more money this year than the last to give to Talia to spend.

His attention returned to the door once it opened, revealing Talia's mother. "Good morning Miss Utagawa." He greeted, bowing politely. "Is Talia ready to go?"

"Talia's not here." The older blonde scoffed, blowing her nose in an angry fashion. Her eyes were puffy and red, and she'd obviously been crying. "Sorry Sanosuke." she quickly said, trying to compose herself in front of her daughter's only frequent guest.

Sanosuke's brow furrowed. "Do you know where she is?" he asked, trying to hold in his worry.

She shook her head. "Not really. She always runs off when we get into arguments. So your guess is as good as mine." Talia's mother looked over Sanosuke's head. "But I'm sure you'll find her, and when you do, would you tell her to come home before dark so at least I know she's okay."

"Yes ma'am." He nodded, turning and leaping over the edge of the balcony. He expanded his charka as best he could, using his sand to broaden his scope. Having been friends with Talia for about a year, he had picked up her faint chakra signature, making it easier to find her.

He ran through the streets, looking for her frantically with his sharingan, but still unable to locate her. What could she and her mother have fought about? They rarely ever disagreed on anything, so the fact that they were both this upset meant that it was bad. Talia needed him right now, and so he was going to find her as quickly as possible. He continued his search, even going so far as the edge of the village. He hopped up onto the wall, searching the brush he could see for any sign of her. Able to feel her presence only slightly, he rushed into the forest.

When he found her, she was sitting at the base of a large oak tree, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them. "Talia." Sanosuke said, walking over to the blonde and crouching before her. "What happened?" he asked, reaching out and hesitantly placing his hand on her shoulder.

The contact caused a sob to emit from the crying girl. "How did you find me?" she whispered, sounding angry, but more confused.

"I will always find you when you need me." He said by way of explanation.

Her head lifted slightly and puffy amber met dark green. "I'm sorry…" she sniffed, another stream of tears cascading down her flushed cheeks. "I didn't mean to make you come all the way out here."

He scoffed, moving to sit beside her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I chose to come out here."

Talia attempted to wipe her face, but another wave halted her efforts. She leaned against him and decided to just let it all out by crying on his shoulder. Sanosuke began to rub her arm, sitting there and serving as the silent support that she needed. When her sobs began to die down, he glanced at her. "So…do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.

"Not really…" she sighed.

"Okay." He said. He wasn't going to make her talk if she didn't want to, because he would want her to give him the same courtesy. "It will make you feel better though. It's not healthy to keep things bottled up. That's what my mother always says anyways."

"That's kind of hypocritical of you to say, isn't it?" she asked, glancing at him.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but it's different for boys." He told her, the corner of his mouth lifting up in a small smile.

Talia almost laughed. "Is that so…?"

He nodded. "Yup. Besides, if I ever have a big problem, I promise to come talk to you about it. And I never break my promises."

This actually made her smile, the shine coming back to her eyes. "Really?"

"Yes." He reiterated. "That's what best friends are for, correct?" he smiled fully then, glad that he was able to bring happiness back to her face.

Talia rested her head on his shoulder and stared off, the silence between them becoming long but not uncomfortable. "I wanted to buy this necklace today…I was going to show it to you…but my mom decided that she wanted to go shopping for herself instead of giving me the money she usually does."

He frowned. "How come? Does she have an interview at another restaurant or something?"

"She has a _date_." Talia spat out.

"Oh…" Sanosuke looked out into the forest, quickly thinking of a way he could repair the situation. Then an idea struck him and he looked back down at her. "We can still go shopping if you want. I'll just buy all your stuff for you. As an early birthday present."

She sighed. "No…"

"You know I'll still spend lots of money on you for your birthday anyways." he replied, thinking triumphant thoughts. "At least way you will have some control over how much it is."

"I already told you Sano, that I don't want anything from you. It makes me feel all weird when you buy me all this expensive stuff I can never pay you back for." She said, looking off.

"Hey," he began, shaking her slightly. "What you gave me for my birthday was really nice. It's the thought behind the gift that counts, not how much it was. Besides, if it's that important to you, I won't get you anything for Christmas."

Talia huffed. "Fine."

The triumphant look finally came to his face. "Good." he said, laying his head on top of hers. "Now that that's settled, do you want to go and show me that necklace?" he asked. "We can get some dango afterwards and walk through the park. It's a nice day outside."

She simply blushed, exhaling loudly in defeat since she knew he'd won this round. "Okay…but don't steal mine this time." She griped.

Sanosuke chuckled. "Then don't eat it so slow." He countered, sitting straight before rising from his spot on the ground. Then he turned towards her and held out his hand in order to help her up. Talia stood up as well and breathed out.

"Man, I'm really hungry now." She laughed, halting when she heard another, who wasn't Sanosuke, laugh. Both kids looked over to see a trio of men standing in a nearby tree, dressed in black and wearing face covers that only showed the top halves of their faces.

"Hey little kids, aren't you too young to be hanging outside the village all by yourself?" the one in the center asked, chuckling darkly.

One of the others leaned forward, narrowing his gaze. "Aye! That's an Uchiha boy!"

Sanosuke moved in front of Talia in order to hide her from the older men. "You should leave." He said, activating his sharingan.

"Well aren't you the little intimidator?" the other snickered.

Talia gripped onto the back of Sanosuke's shirt, her eyes wide as saucers. "Oh my God…are we going to die?" she whispered, fear evident in her tone.

"Unfortunately you are little girl." One of the ninja smirked beneath his mask and the three took off, surging towards the two kids.

Sanosuke stiffened. He didn't know what to do in this situation, as his grandfather had only put him up against one opponent before. Not to mention he had to protect Talia, and that would only make things difficult. He didn't have any weapons with him, since he wasn't allowed to leave the Uchiha District with them yet, and he had only barely begun training with his sand, and it was just the basics so that he could control it. Even now he could feel his sand beginning to stir from the fear that he was feeling and trying to suppress the small grains beginning to rise into the air and float around the pair. He kept his eyes on the three men, trying to decide what taijutsu moves he could use.

But he wasn't thinking fast enough. They were suddenly before them, and Sanosuke could feel the hand reach for him. Then, in a swift blur, his assailant was sent off and slammed against a tree as the other two were pinned to others with constricting golden grains. Natsumi was in front of Sanosuke and lowered her leg from her kick. She glanced back at the two children and looked over them, making sure neither of them were injured. But a dark mirth erupted from the man who wasn't being held captive. "Perfect. One of the ones we were looking for."

"Sanosuke." the pink haired woman spoke lowly, meeting her sons gaze.

"Yes mother." He replied softly, reaching back and wrapping his arms around Talia, whom he could feel shaking behind him.

"Cover your eyes." She said seriously, disappearing in the blink of an eye and then sending two pointed fingers straight at the male ninja's heart. Talia's eyes widened and she started to hyperventilate as her gaze zeroed in on the confrontation.

"Oh m-my God…" she gasped out. "S-she's going t-to k-kill him."

Sanosuke instantly turned around and moved so that Talia's back was to the fight. "Talia." He said, framing her face with his hands, causing her to look at him. "Just look at me." He told her, allowing his eyes to fade back into their normal green luster. She didn't need to see this. "Keep your eyes on me." He repeated, making sure that he didn't look away from her face either.

Talia placed her hands over his, holding them tightly. "I can still hear it…" she whispered as they heard another ear shattering scream.

He moved their joined hands over her ears to try and block out some of the noise. Placing his forehead against hers, he kept eye contact with the blonde. "It's going to be okay." He said, wanting to reassure her. "My mother is here. We're going to be okay."

She nodded and watched him, humming to herself in attempts to drown out everything she was hearing. She knew it was death, but she'd never heard it before. She never knew how terrible it sounded, even if they were bad guys. Finally, the sounds stopped and they both heard Sanosuke's mother come up behind them. "It's over." She told them softly, but something was off with her voice. She placed her hands atop both the children's heads and in a quick swirl of sand they were gone from the area.

But where they appeared was the last place Talia thought she would ever see. The blonde girl stared wide eyed at the massive black doors with the Konoha Anbu symbol carved into them. "Oh my God!" Talia gasped out again. Natsumi walked forward and it was only now that the two kids saw the splatters of blood on her clothing and cheek. She formed a few hand signs and bit into her thumb before slamming her palms against the cool stone doors. Slowly, they began to slide open, but only enough to where they could fit through. Once they were inside, Natsumi walked ahead, the main room looking like a massive dojo with doors along the walls. There was only one set on the opposite side and the pink haired woman headed straight for it.

Talia looked around in awe, as did Sanosuke. "Have you ever seen this place before?" she asked softly.

"No." he shook his head, before grabbing Talia's hand and walking after his mother. "I've only been to her other office."

"Are we _really_ in the secret Anbu headquarters?" she giggled, bouncing up and down. Natsumi stopped at the double doors and slid them open. She walked inside and the two kids followed, looking around. It was a neat, clean office, with orderly files everywhere. The pink haired woman stopped at the back wall, which had a slab of black marble nearly six feet tall. Natsumi flipped out a kunai and drew it across her thumb, drawing another symbol in blood. She closed her eyes and touched the marble and both Sanosuke and Talia felt a small rumble.

"Please compose yourself Talia." Natsumi sighed, glancing back at them. "You are the first civilian to ever step foot in here. So don't make me regret it."

The blonde girl blinked, her smile faltering for a second. "Yes ma'am." She nodded, falling silent. Talia looked at Sanosuke, who remained silent and still, but he seemed in absolute awe of his mother. She frowned somewhat and faced forward. Natsumi glanced up and walked past her son back into the room now filled with uniformed Anbu.

Akito walked up to his wife, cupping her face with his hands as he took in her appearance. "What happened? Why'd you call all the Anbu?"

"Sanosuke and Talia were attacked." She said with a sigh, finally relaxing in the presence of her lover. "But the men said they were after me and a few others. I know there aren't just three of them. And they were not amateurs."

Akito's gaze hardened as he glanced to his son and Talia. Seeing that they were not harmed, he looked back to his wife. "Did you find out what village they were from?" he asked, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.

She shook her head, "There were no insignias, no nothing." She sighed and looked past him, stepping aside and facing her large squad. "I want every single one of you to break off into your pods and set a five hundred foot perimeter around Konoha. Bring any suspicious person _straight_ to me."

"If they resist, do as minimal damage as you can." Akito ordered, turning to face the group. "I want them to be in top form when they're handed over to interrogation."

"Hai!" they all called out, saluting their leaders before disappearing.

Talia finally let out an excited yell. "Oh my-!" she almost got out before Sanosuke clapped his hands over her mouth.

"Don't make her regret it." he whispered in her ear. Then he looked back to his mother. "I'm sorry for putting you in danger mommy by being outside the village with Talia. I promise it won't happen again."

"Worry more about yourself next time." Natsumi scolded, giving him a dark look. "You know your limits. I thought I taught you better than that." She said, setting her hands on her hips.

He glanced down in shame, before meeting her gaze once more. "I had to protect Talia." He stated, lowering his palm from her face as his grip on her hand tightened slightly. "Friends protect one another with their lives, and that's what I was going to do."

Akito sighed. "Sano, you don't have the skills or the chakra reserves to take on three Anbu level ninja. You know this." He said.

"Then train me harder." The young Uchiha said fervently, taking a step forward. "And if you won't do it then I'll just ask grandfather."

"Uchiha Sanosuke!" Natsumi boomed, making all of them look at her in somewhat fear. She glared at her son as she stepped forward, "Do _not_ speak to us that way. At your age you are exactly where you need to be, and if you are insinuating that I run you through the training I do for my Anbu units you are out of your mind. If you really want to get stronger, then you will check your attitude and expand your mind before furthering your physical prowess. Do not make me angry young man. You think you get bored when you have no training? Wait till I take both that and Talia away."

Sanosuke's eyes widened in alarm. "But mom, that's not-"

"Sanosuke." Akito said sternly, wrapping his arm around Natsumi's waist to try and calm her a bit. "You will listen to your mother and not argue with us any further on the subject." He said. "Your training regimen will continue at the same pace, and with the same intensity as we have planned."

He pouted slightly. "Yes father." He said, a hint of resignation to his voice. "Sorry mother." He looked at Natsumi.

"Leave." She ordered, crossing her arms over her chest. "I want you home by eight o'clock tonight. No exceptions." She said, breaking away from her husband and walking past them into her office. She slammed the doors shut and left the three alone.

Talia blinked and looked back at Akito. "I'm sorry Hokage-sama, it was my fault for running off…"

"You couldn't have known about the dangers of being outside the village Talia." Akito interrupted, walking over to them. "Just don't do it again." He said, placing his hands on their shoulders. He ushered them out of the room, the two large stone doors closing behind them. Once outside, he formed a few hand signs and placed his hands on the children's shoulders once more. They disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing outside the Hokage Tower. "Now, you two go on and enjoy the rest of your day. And don't forget to be home before eight Sano." He ordered, turning and walking to the entrance of the tower.

Sanosuke sighed and looked to his friend. "Talia…I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you." he said softly.

"But you did." Talia smiled, looking over at him as she laced her fingers behind her back.

His brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't let me see anything." She explained, nudging him. "No doubt that probably would have done some damage."

The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "Well next time I promise to do better." He said, reaching out and taking her hand in his once more. "Come on, I promised we'd get that necklace and some dango, and I never break a promise." He said, leading her towards the marketplace. The best thing to do would be to get her mind off of everything that had happened, therefore lifting her spirits as well as his own. At her enthusiastic response, the two picked up their pace, spending the rest of the day cheering the other up.


	6. Differences

**Enigma**

_Chapter Six_

-Differences-

_**One year later…**_

"I can't believe you would do this Sanosuke." Akito said, stopping in front of his desk as he looked to his now nine year old son and only friend. "Talia, I would believe, but you?" he shook his head. "How long have you been skipping school?"

Sanosuke smirked slightly. "Ever since it started." He said, almost proudly.

Akito frowned. "To do what, exactly?"

The young Uchiha didn't even appear phased by his father's growing ire as he lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. "Whatever Talia wants."

The Hokage looked to the blonde girl who had become a part of his family over the past two years. "Talia," he began. "You two haven't been doing anything else you shouldn't be doing, right?"

The young girl's eyes widened, "Of course not, Akki-sama! I definitely want to wait until I'm at _least_ sixteen."

Akito blinked, at a loss for words. Sanosuke looked at her, a slight pink tint to his cheeks. "Talia…I think he means if we've pulled any pranks while skipping school." He clarified.

"That's exactly what I meant!" Akito cleared his throat, straightening as he recovered from Talia's declaration.

Talia turned beet red and covered her face with her hands as she yelled out in embarrassment. "No! We've been g-good. I promise." She said, completely flustered.

Sanosuke turned to face her, a frown on his face. "What do you mean, wait until you're sixteen? You can't-"

"We're getting off topic." Akito held his hand up for silence. "Now, why don't we just wait for Natsumi to get here, since I sent for her when I found out about your absences from school. Talia, your mother will also be notified of this."

"But-" Talia began, only to hear her mother screeching from down the hall.

"Talia!" she cried out, storming into the room and then slowing. "Oh my, Hokage-sama." She blushed, stopping and fixing her attire a bit. "Sorry about that, I came as soon as I was notified. What's happened? Did Talia talk Sanosuke into graffiti-ing the buildings again?"

"No Miss Utagawa." Akito shook his head, glancing to the door as Natsumi entered. "Our children have simply been skipping school a lot this year, and it has just now been brought to my attention."

Sanosuke glanced to his mother, shrinking slightly at the look she was sending him. "Mother, I can explain." He began, only to be cut off as she held up a silencing hand.

"What did I tell you two?" she huffed. "If you're going to skip, don't get caught."

"The sand clones I made got wet." Sanosuke pouted slightly.

Akito blinked. "You were able to maintain two sand clones at the same time, while having one of them transformed into a replica of Talia?" he asked. "Not even Kanamé could do that yet at that age for so long."

The ebony haired boy smirked. "I practiced all summer to get it right."

"Iza was helping him when Natty-sama was busy." Talia chimed in.

Talia's mother scoffed and gave Natsumi a hard stare. "You encouraged the children to skip school?"

Natsumi crossed her arms and returned the condescending look. "As long as they're passing and not getting into too much trouble I want them to be able to be with each other. Friendship is important and Talia is the only friend Sanosuke has."

Akito's mouth dropped open in shock. "Natsumi!" he gasped. "We're supposed to be a team. You know, us against them." He gestured from himself to Sanosuke and Talia. "How can we be a strong authority figure if you undermine me?" he asked.

"Don't worry dad." Sanosuke spoke up. "I was always careful so that Talia and I didn't miss any tests or projects. And besides, I learn what my clone has learned when it dissipates, so no harm done." He shrugged. Since his mother was on his side, he wasn't really worried about his father's anger.

"Talia!" the blonde's mother exclaimed. "You know it's not good to skip. What about all the homework you miss? And your other friends?"

Talia huffed. "I see them _all_ the time mom. I never get to see Sanosuke, so I spend all the time I can with him."

"Well at least someone here is on my side." Akito said, crossing his arms. "Sanosuke, for skipping school in order to see Talia, I am forbidding the two of you to hang out for the next week. Maybe even longer if you even think of going against your punishment. And you," he pointed at his wife, "are not allowed to help them see one another."

"Dad!" Sanosuke exclaimed, taking an unconscious step towards Talia.

Natsumi scoffed. "You're not grounded sweetie so don't worry." The pink haired women said, waving off the matter.

Akito gave his wife a stern look. "Natsumi." He said in a warning tone, completely serious. "Your mutiny is going to be punished, and you won't like it." he told her. "Sanosuke is punished and that is final." He pointed to the ground.

Talia and Sanosuke looked between the adults before taking a few steps back to get out of the way. Natsumi puffed out her chest, her gaze slanting into her family's famous stare. "Are you undermining my authority as his mother? I said it was okay, and taking Talia away from him is only going to stick him to your arrogant father."

"Then we'll take the both of them away." Akito said, not backing down. "His training can be done with either you or me. Or we can put him to work around the house. But I will not allow you to undermine _my_ authority as his father."

Sanosuke moved Talia behind him slightly in case things started to fly. Because when his parents began to argue, they tended to get violent.

"Did our _five_ babies come out of _your_ uterus?!" Natsumi shrieked, turning a bit red.

Talia's mother gasped, "Natsumi-sama!"

"No! They came out of _mine_. So if _aaaaaaaaaanybody_ has any authority and right it's me. I moved to Konoha. I live next to your _insane _father. You know how much it rains here?!" Natsumi continued on, her sand forming in the air as she counted off on her fingers. "I cook, I clean, and I run your Anbu for you. The least you could do is let my freakish antisocial baby have a friend! Like you _never _skipped school."

"_I_ was punished for skipping!" the Hokage replied. "And you're not the only one who cooks and cleans in that house. We have five kids Natsumi, make them do some of it! The triplets are eleven, they can do more work. And so can Sanosuke and Hayate. And you know what? Allowing Sanosuke to skip school is completely destroying any and all respect we have built in him. Now he just thinks that any time he does something and I'm not okay with it, you will condone his behavior, and I will not be respected as his father."

"Oh my God." She rolled her eyes. "The day that he 'doesn't respect' you is the day that Kyo shuts the hell up. And you're not grounding him from Talia! Why don't you just give him a talk like a normal person."

"I'm not a normal person." Akito deadpanned, giving her an almost bored look. "He's not going to learn his lesson if I don't punish him. And it's only worse because you helped him be bad." He said. "So it's really your fault that he cannot see Talia for a week."

Sanosuke's eyes widened at the accusation and he looked to his mother, watching as her sand continued to stir.

Her hands formed into fists and she let out a sharp breath before composing herself and reeling in her rage. "Fine. If you ground Sanosuke for this first time offense. I'm grounding you."

Akito raised a brow. "Ground me for what? I didn't do anything wrong."

"For being an asshole." She stuck her tongue out at him and turned on her heel and heading out the door. "I'm going _home_. See you in a week."

"Fine." The ebony haired man crossed his arms. "But Sanosuke will be staying with me, to ensure that his punishment is carried through to my specifications."

She waved off his slight threat. "Do whatever you want big bad daddy. I'm going to Suna, might stay longer than a week, we'll see how it goes." She sighed, leaving the four alone. Talia stared wide eyed after the pink haired woman and then to the Hokage.

Akito glared at the door. "Woman! You will submit to my authority!" he shouted, storming after her.

Sanosuke sighed. "Don't worry about them." He said, crossing his arms. "After they have angry sex they'll come to a compromise and come back in here and tell us what they decided."

"I dunno, you're mom seems pretty angry this time. And so does your dad." Talia sighed.

"Trust me." The young man said, watching the doorway for when his parents returned. And sure enough, not even twenty minutes later the two came walking back in, their hair a bit messed up from their activity.

"Sanosuke, I have thought about it," Akito began, straightening his Kage robes. "And I decided that this time, you will not be punished. But if you skip again and I find out, I will forbid you from seeing Talia for a while. If you want to see her that badly, then you can reduce the amount of time you spend training. Are we clear?" he asked, raising a brow.

Sanosuke nodded. "Yes father." Then he looked to Natsumi, who was finishing smoothing out her hair. "Thank you mom." He smiled slightly. There was no way he was going to lessen his training regimen. Not with how quickly his elder siblings were progressing in their studies. He would just continue to miss classes, only this time he would make sure that neither of their classes were doing an activity that included water. Because the only reason they had gotten caught was Talia's class had been doing some sort of science experiment that set off the fire alarm and the sprinklers. Then his clone of her had disappeared, so the teacher had contacted his school, and his clone had been destroyed by his teacher. Needless to say when Sanosuke had regained the memories of the clones, he and Talia had just headed for the Hokage Tower to save time and effort.

"No problem baby." Natsumi smiled as she continued to rake her fingers through her hair. "You know how I can handle your daddy when he's not thinking too clearly." she smiled. "But don't do it again." she winked, hiding the gesture from the Hokage.

Talia's jaw dropped. "Really? That's all it takes?"

"It's not as easy as it looks." Akito began, fixing his hair really quickly. "But once you get down the right means of…persuasion, it doesn't take as long." He smirked, his gaze sliding over to his wife. "Not to mention I'd go crazy if Natsumi went to Suna for even a day, let alone an indefinite amount of time."

"Wow…" Talia breathed out, making Natsumi giggle.

"You'll understand one day Talia." She sighed happily, latching onto her husband's arm. "I'd miss my big, strong man too much anyways."

Sanosuke gave his elders a bored stare. "May we be excused now?" he asked, having felt like he'd wasted enough of his Talia-time with his parents.

Natsumi waved them off, keeping her gaze on Akito. "You may all leave. Akito and I actually have a lot to talk about concerning the village and the Anbu before getting naughty again."

Talia's mother sighed. "On that note, I will leave you be. Talia, don't stay out too late, and no sweets for a week." She smiled, disappearing out the door.

"Aw man!" the blonde huffed.

"Don't worry, next time we won't get caught." Sanosuke assured her, gabbing her hand and leading her from the room. They spent the rest of the day hanging out and devising a new way to skip school that would work even better than Sanosuke's sand clones. And when the sun began to set, Sanosuke walked Talia home like he did every night, before making it to his own abode in time for dinner.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A few months later…<strong>_

"I can't believe that you get to go and meet four of the Kages." Talia's mother giggled as she ran a brush through her daughter's soft blonde locks. "You'll even get to sit in their special suite!"

Talia rolled her eyes, allowing her mother the simple joy of readying her daughter. She actually didn't mind the attention, especially now that her mother's new boyfriend had moved in and was mooching off them. And then, as if her thoughts had provoked an entrance, he walked in, his brown hair falling in his face. He wasn't bad looking, but his bad attitude was enough to make him repulsive. Talia frowned and looked off. "I bet you'll even get to meet the Daimyos!" she squeaked. "You'll have to latch yourself to one with a cute son so that you can live in a big house and never have to worry about anything."

"As if this little twig could snag herself a rich aristocrat." Her mother's boyfriend laughed.

"Hajime, please?" Talia's mother sighed, giving him a pleading look.

He simply scoffed, "Well she's not that pretty, so I don't see how she'd be able to manage a Daimyo. It's amazing enough she's so in with the Uchihas. You shouldn't let the Hokage and Natsumi-sama spoil her so much."

Talia's hands were formed into fists now and she was trying with all her might not to scream, cry, or hit him. She really hated Hajime, but her mother didn't seem to care. She just liked the attention after being widowed for so long. Luckily, the doorbell rang and Talia knew she was saved from the rest of this disastrous conversation. "That's Sano now." She said as she got up and finished fixing her hair.

It took her no time to get to the door and open it up. "Hey Sano!" she beamed, enveloping him in a tight hug, needing some sort of comfort.

Sanosuke smiled slightly as he returned her embrace. "Hello Talia." He said. "Are you ready to go?"

"_So_ ready." She hurried out, taking his hand and dragging him with her. "Bye Mom!" she waved, before slamming the door behind them.

"I didn't realize you would be this excited to watch my family members beat people up." He observed as they continued in their hurried pace down the stairs. "Or are you excited about meeting my cousins?"

She blinked, looking off to hide her frown. "Not so much that as I just wanted to get out." She sighed and then met his gaze with a small smile. "But I am excited to meet them too, and all the Kages. I can't believe you're related to three of the five!"

Sanosuke, however, did not look so happy about this knowledge. "They're all weird." He stated. "Except my Aunt Satomi. I like her the most."

"That's your mom's twin right? She's married to…the Tsuchikage." Talia nodded, glad she had studied up on her best friend's immense family.

"Yes." He replied as they walked down the street towards the arena that the Chuunin Exam Finals were being held in.

"So are you excited? What do you think it'll be like? You think your brothers might win? Or your sister? What about your cousins?" the blonde babbled on, not noticing the slightly annoyed tick in her best friend's brow.

"My siblings will not lose no matter what. My cousins won't lose either, unless they are against any of my siblings. If that happens, the fight will be close, but in the end, an Uchiha will be the victor." He explained in clipped tones. "Either way, it is pretty much guaranteed that they will all be a chuunin by the end of the day. Despite what my parents believe, they are outnumbered on the belief of whether it should be based on skills shown in the fight, or who wins."

Talia blinked. "Your parents think it should be based on who wins?"

He glanced down at her. "Survival of the fittest." He said. "If they cannot prove they are strong enough to become a chuunin, then they do not deserve the title."

"But…" Talia trailed off, "what if your siblings end up against one another?"

"Izayoi will win either way." He said. "Neither of my older brothers would be able to hurt her, and even if it did come down to a fight, she is more strategic, and would maneuver the entire thing to her advantage." The ebony haired boy told her. "And if Kanamé and Noriaki wind up fighting, it's really a coin toss as to who will win, if it doesn't end in a draw. They're both pretty evenly matched."

"I think Noriaki might win…he's kinda…insane when it comes to stuff like that, you know? Especially when your mom is around." She sighed, looking up at the large stadium and then at the surrounding area. "Man this is going to be crazy. I've never gotten to see the Chuunin Exams before."

"Most civilians don't, unless they are of a high status." Sanosuke said as they entered. But instead of going with the crowd, they veered off to the side and headed down a hallway towards a flight of stairs that would lead them to their suite shared with the other Kages and the rest of his family. Luckily his older siblings and cousins had already been sent off to their own box to wait to be called for their fights.

Sanosuke opened the door to the area only to walk into a fight, which he already expected. "How dare you say anything to mar Satomi's gorgeous beauty!" a blonde man exclaimed, pointing in Akito's face.

A pink haired woman, who looked almost identical to the Hokage's wife, stood with her arms crossed and a bored expression on her façade. "Kyo, please stop causing a scene. The filthy Uchiha can't help the fact he must tear those down who are better than him.

"Tomi!" Natsumi gasped, not wanting the battle to move between her husband and her sister.

Akito sneered, but before he could respond he was pushed out of the way by his son. Sanosuke walked over to his aunt and actually gave her a hug. "Hello Aunt Tomi." He said, looking up at her and giving her a small smile. "Your hair is even longer than last time."

Kyo jumped on that train and wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulder. "And isn't it just beautiful? It flutters in the wind like a lovely pink butterfly, and is as soft as the petals of a rose." He cooed, stroking said pink locks.

Satomi shifted her pale jade gaze to her husband and glared at him before shoving him off and hugging her nephew. "It's so good to see you Sanosuke. You're so big now." She actually smiled.

His smile widened at the sight of her own. "Mother says I'm probably going to be taller than grandfather when I stop growing." He told her. It was then he remembered his manners and pulled away from his aunt in order to grab Talia's hand and pull her forward. "This is Talia." He introduced. "I told you about her in my letters. Talia, this is my Aunt Satomi, the best medic in the entire ninja universe."

Talia's eyes widened as Satomi offered her hand out, which the young girl took eagerly to shake. "It's an honor Satomi-sama." She whispered out, in absolute awe.

Another small smile tugged at the elder twin's face, seeing as her normal stoic expression had returned to her face. "You must be the little girl Sanosuke has a crush on."

"That's her." Natsumi chimed in, making both the children go dark red with embarrassment.

"I don't have a crush on her!" Sanosuke said fervently, though he was still as red as a tomato. "We're just really good friends!"

Kyo was in their faces suddenly, smiling widely. "Naw, it looks like love to me." He laughed, holding his hand out to Talia. "You can just call me Kyo, since you're practically family."

She took it quickly, trying to get over the awe from meeting both the Tsuchikage and his wife, the most renowned medic in the world, even more so than Lady Tsunade herself. "It's an honor to meet you Tsuchikage-sama…I mean Kyo-sama."

"Likewise. Our son Sora is down there with everyone else." Kyo pointed over the railing to the box where the finalists were seated. "He's the devilishly handsome one with his mother's exotic hair." He winked.

Talia looked down and smiled brightly. "Awesome! I love the pink hair!" she giggled, looking back at Sanosuke's uncle.

Sanosuke smirked. "So does he." He said, meaning no ill-will towards his cousin. Suddenly he heard his name called out, and looked over just in time to brace himself for the impact of his younger cousin's embrace.

"Nosuke!" Ayame greeted, hugging him tightly. Her wavy dark auburn locks were pulled away from her face to reveal striking teal eyes as it fell to the middle of her back. She pulled away and smiled up at him. "I missed you!" then she looked to the blonde next to her cousin. "Hello! My name is Sabaku no Ayame, and my daddy is the Kazekage!" she said, pointing over to the redhead, who was currently standing with his wife and talking to the Mizukage. "Who are you?"

"I'm Talia." she said quickly, holding out her hand to the girl, only to be ambushed by a hug as well.

"You're pretty." the young girl said as she released the blonde. "Are you Nosuke's girlfriend?"

"Ayame." Sanosuke groaned, wiping a hand down his face. Was he going to have to deal with this topic _every_ time Talia met a new family member of his?

"Kinda." Talia giggled, smiling brightly. "After all I _am_ a girl and I _am_ his friend...well his only friend." she snickered, looking over at the darkening Uchiha.

The ebony haired boy sighed. "Don't encourage her Talia." He said, seeing his younger cousin practically bouncing with glee.

"Oh hush Nosuke." Ayame reached out and grabbed Talia's hand. "Come meet my parents!" she said, heading over to where they were located. She stopped next to them and waited for her father to look down and allow her to speak. "Daddy, this is Talia, she's Nosuke's girlfr-" Sanosuke clamped his hand over her mouth before she could finish.

"She's my friend." He said quickly, trying to save himself any further embarrassment. "That happens to be a girl."

"A.k.a his girlfriend." Talia added with a devious glint in her amber eyes. The redheaded man blinked and looked from his daughter and nephew to the new blonde girl beside them. He smiled then, and it was undeniable that he was related to the two pink haired women. They all had the exact same beautiful smile.

"Well hello Talia, it's nice to meet you." he offered his hand down, which Talia took and shook happily. "My name's Toshiro, I'm Sanosuke's uncle."

The blonde giggled and nodded. "And the Kazekage! I've heard so much about you Toshiro-sama. It's a great honor to meet you!"

Toshiro laughed, his joy seeming to grow. "Sanosuke your friend is so polite, I really like her." he gestured over to the dark haired woman beside him and brought her forward, resting his hand on the small of her back. "Talia, this is my wife Minako, she's originally from here."

"Right!" Talia hit her fist into the palm of her hand. "That crazy old guy at Ichiraku all the time is your dad!"

Minako smiled. "Yes, that would be him." she said. "He should be here any minute too, to watch Ami fight."

Ayame pushed away from Sanosuke, her smile identical to her mother's. "Ami's going to be great. She trained with my grandma, who's really strong, cause' daddy can't hurt his little angels. Right daddy?"

"You know that's right my sweet little angel." Toshiro smiled, placing his hand on top of Ayame's head. Talia watched the exchange a bit sadly, but tried not to let it show. "Oh." the redhead laughed, glancing back. "Talia, these are our good friends Vincent and Taka."

The auburn hair man glanced over when he heard his name and then at the young blonde girl before the Kazekage. He walked up with his lengthy beauty behind him, her icy blue eyes studying Talia almost like a hawk.

"Hello Mizukage-sama." Talia bowed slightly.

Vincent shook her hand and gave Talia a warm smile as he knelt before her. "You really are a proper one, despite your none ninja class. It's nice to meet you Talia. As you said, I'm the Mizukage," he paused and glanced back at his wife with a devious grin. "That is my wife, Taka, and my son over there spitting over the edge is Vance."

At the sound of his name, Vance looked over and saw all the commotion, before deciding he wanted to be a part of the event. "Hey there!" he boomed, wagging his eye brows. "Tell me Talia, did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" she asked, confusion marring her brow.

"You know, when you fell from heaven, you angel." he grinned, showing off all his teeth.

Talia turned a dark red, unable to really think of anything to say to that. She'd never been flirted with so strongly before. Sanosuke frowned at the reaction his friend was having to the boy's words, before glaring over at him. "Angels can't fall, they have wings to fly, idiot." He said. "Besides, Talia is a precious diamond."

"I'm an angel!" Ayame raised her hand, smiling over at the Mizukage's son. "But I didn't hurt myself." She laughed, clasping her hands behind her back.

"That's because I caught you sweetie." Toshiro beamed, enveloping his youngest daughter in a hug.

Vance stuck his tongue out at the Uchiha and stood tall, the two meeting gazes. Their staring contest dragged on, until Talia smirked.

"A diamond, huh?" she asked, making Sanosuke break from the contest.

Sanosuke blinked, realizing that he had just said that out loud. "Yes." He said, rubbing the back of his neck to try and hide his embarrassment. "That's what you said when we met, remember? And you wanted to walk me home halfway, but I told you that it wasn't safe." He elaborated. "You told me that you weren't a flower, you were a diamond."

"You remember that?" Talia asked somewhat breathlessly.

Natsumi looked between the two and tried to hide her smirk as she elbowed her husband a few times. Akito frowned and swatted at her a bit to get her to stop, already knowing what her conniving mind was thinking, but refusing to play along.

The young Uchiha nodded. "I remember everything you say."

The blonde smiled, clapping her hands together. Vincent looked around the balcony, scratching his head. "Anyone see Vitani?"

"She's down with the finalists." Taka said in a slightly bored manner. "Talking to that Kanamé boy."

"_That_ Kanamé?" Natsumi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "What do you mean? It's not like you've never met him before."

The brunette sighed and looked to the other woman. "Yeah, like once."

Minako looked between her two friends, knowing that a fight was about to ensue. Then she glimpsed the Mizukage's daughter and smiled. "Vitani!" she said a bit loudly, directing all of the attention on the young girl. "We were just wondering where you were!"

Vitani blinked. She had her father's aqua gaze, and her mother's brown hair, with natural auburn streaks in it. "Oh…I was just wishing Kanamé luck…and stuff…" she said softly, glancing over at her parents. "Am I late?"

"You might as well be." Taka scoffed, crossing her arms.

Natsumi rolled her eyes and turned to her husband. "Shall I silence the stadium and signal the beginning?" she asked.

"Yes." Akito nodded. "The sooner our children win, the sooner this will all be over." He said.

She nodded and stepped forward, closing her eyes and lifting her hands as hers and all the sand surrounding the area rose and formed into two hands. She stretched out her hands and clapped them together, the sand doing the same and causing a loud booming noise that silenced the entire arena. All the Kages sat down in their designated seats as Natsumi cleared her throat. "Welcome everyone! I'm pleased to introduce our finalists for this year's Chuunin Exams!" she gestured down as the sand flew off in all directions, returning to its place of origin.

The triplets walked out first, all looking bored. They were followed by a white haired girl, a boy with black and white hair, a brunette from the Village Hidden in the Mist, the Tsuchikage's pink haired son, and an auburn haired girl who looked similar to Ayame. At the sound of the applause Natsumi took her seat beside Akito with Sanosuke and Talia to her right.

The eldest Uchiha walked into the suite and let out a sigh as the crowd continued to applaud the contestants. "The dobe still isn't here." He pointed out, sitting next to his son.

"Who cares." Akito snorted, glancing at his father. "Things will be a lot quieter without him up here disrupting everyone." Shortly after the words left the younger Uchiha's mouth Naruto burst out into the private suite, followed silently by Hinata, who took her seat next to her daughter.

"What did I miss?!" he shouted as he ran over to the railing and looked over. "Did Ami fight yet?!"

Minako rubbed her forehead in aggravation. "No daddy, they haven't even started." She said.

Naruto smiled back at the Kages that were just staring at him. "Sweet." He laughed. "Continue!" he waved out to the group of people on the ground before turning and walking over to his seat.

"Idiot." Sasuke muttered.

Talia watched the old man, shaking her head. "He's so weird."

"Thankfully I don't share blood with him." Sanosuke said, looking over at her. "Come on, let's move so we can see better."

"Alright." she smiled and followed after him so they would have front row seats. "I hope Izayoi wins."

"She will." He said assuredly, sitting down with Talia next to him, his younger brother on his other side. "It just depends on who everybody else gets paired up with."

Talia nodded and looked forward. She was so excited to see the chuunin exams. She'd seen Sanosuke and his family train before, but nothing like this. Of course she would rather be watching Sanosuke fight and cheering him on, but sharing the experience was just as good, and his time would come. They announced that the first fight would be Noriaki and his cousin Ami, which the Kazekage did not look too pleased about.

The fight began and it was definitely a show stopper, but of course the Uchiha came on top as was presumed. The exams continued, and they cheered for their family, marveling at what the triplets had learned. But of course, as Sanosuke had foreseen, it came down to Izayoi and Noriaki and the second they were faced off, Noriaki called to the ref announcing his forfeit from the match.

"Knew it." Sanosuke sighed. "Guess that means Iza's the winner."

Natsumi huffed. "Only because Noriaki is too much of a gentleman to fight his sister." She almost sneered.

"He's only a gentleman when it comes to Iza." Akito pointed out. "You saw how he was with Ami. Any other girl he wouldn't hesitate to destroy."

"Izayoi would have won regardless." Sasuke said. "Noriaki may be stronger, but she is smarter."

"Not _that_ much smarter." Natsumi protested, crossing her arms as she walked off. Talia blinked, looking to Sanosuke.

"I don't understand. How come she's not happy?"

Sanosuke met her amber gaze with his green one. "Because she wanted Nori to win. He probably could have…I mean if he'd actually fought her with his best."

Talia laughed. "Your mom plays favorites?"

"Everybody does." He shrugged. "Kanamé is a favorite because he's the oldest, Iza because she's the only girl, me because I'm the most like my grandfather, and Hayate because he's the youngest, and looks just like my dad." He counted off on his fingers. "But of my older siblings, Nori is my mother's favorite. She talks about how we are all equal and shouldn't be treated any better than the others, but she lets him get away with a lot of stuff that she thinks we don't know about."

The blonde sighed and shook her head. "When I get married and have kids I'm going to make sure I love them all equally!" she declared, smiling at Sanosuke. "Or maybe just have one so then I don't have to."

The Uchiha shrugged once more, about to say something when his father stood and addressed the crowd. "Thank you all for coming and supporting the genin of the Hidden Villages. We will now discuss our finalists, and announce who made it through by five this evening." He said, dismissing everyone.

Just then the door to their private box was opened and in walked the triplets, along with Ami. "Yay! N.I.K are back!" Hayate cheered, running up to his elder siblings. "You guys were so cool! You were like BAM! And then POW! With a WHOOSH!" he spun in a circle with his arms up, a bright smile on his face. "It was great!"

Izayoi smiled and hugged her younger brother. "Thanks Hayate!" she giggled, kissing his cheek.

"You were great too Mimi!" Ayame said, coming up and hugging her older sister.

Ami scoffed, shoving the younger girl off slightly. "Be careful Mae-Mae." She scolded, since during her fight with her cousin her arm had been burned pretty badly.

Ayame blinked, stepping back with a wide eyed look. "Sorry sissy." She said, ashamed at having caused her sister discomfort.

Toshiro was next to his daughter after that, kneeling beside her. "You did great Ami." he said, placing his hand on her head and his other on her burn as he slowly began to heal it. "I'm so proud of you."

"You really did sweetie." Minako smiled, stopping next to them.

Ami huffed. "Yeah, but you have to win in order to make chuunin."

"Actually," Satomi began, walking over to her niece. "That was never decided."

"But that's how Aunt Sumi and Uncle Kito look at it." the auburn haired girl elaborated.

Kyo frowned. "Hey, they aren't the only ones making this decision. They might be the most aggressive about it, but that doesn't mean they have the final say."

"Yeah we'll see." Akito smirked, walking up to his children. "You all did an excellent job." He said, placing his hand on Izayoi's head and running his fingers through her hair. "Especially you sweetie, beating that Lightning boy up." He smiled.

"It was easy daddy." She beamed. "I just did what mommy does and used my unearthly beauty to distract him." She giggled, turning a slight red. "But he _was_ super cute."

He gasped and placed his hand on his chest, over his heart. "What? My baby girl is too young to notice those things!"

Izayoi blinked. "But daddy I'm eleven."

"Exactly, you still have about thirty years to go before you can like boys." He nodded.

"If I recall...she's about five years overdue to finding the love of her life." Satomi smirked. "Considering her mother."

Akito glared at her and covered his daughter's ears. "Don't say things like that Satomi, you'll give her ideas."

Sanosuke rolled his eyes and looked to Talia. "See what I meant about Iza being coddled?" he asked.

Talia smiled. "It only means he loves her." she said, glancing back at the ones in the suite. Her smile faltered for a moment as she watched them all. Every single one of them was a powerful ninja, and all related to Sanosuke. Hearing the talk and the praise made her feel slightly insignificant in the room, considering she was the only civilian of the group.

He just shrugged. "You wanna go get something to eat? They still have to deliberate on the matches, so there's no point in hanging around here."

"Sure." she said softly.

Taking her hand, he informed his mother of their departure before they left the private box, and then the arena. Noticing his friend's odd silence, Sanosuke frowned. "Are you okay Talia?" he asked, leading her towards her favorite restaurant in a silent attempt to cheer her up.

"Huh." she blinked, looking over at him. "Oh," she registered his concerned look and attempted a smile. "No I'm fine. Just hungry."

"Okay." he said, a bit unsure of her answer. "What did you think of the matches?"

"Amazing..." she whispered. "It's hard to believe sometimes that people can do things like that...to me it's very...supernatural."

"Well you know, you could learn some of that stuff if you wanted to." Sanosuke said. "I mean I already taught you how to be silent and sneaky, I bet I could show you some more things so that you could better defend yourself."

Talia laughed halfheartedly. "But I'll never be amazing like your brothers and sister. Or your cousins, or any of those other kids. I'm just normal...plain and normal."

He stopped, making her halt as well. "You're not plain or normal." He said fiercely. "You're Talia, my best friend, and a diamond in the rough. You have special eyes that keep you from being harmed by genjutsu, and an ability to put up with any Uchiha, especially me. You're funny and nice…and have a very pretty smile that lights up a room. You're special Talia, and I wouldn't have you any other way."

"I guess so." she said, poking her fingers together nervously. She stared down, a small pink blush coming to her cheeks. "You really think so?"

"Of course." The ebony haired boy nodded. "You know I wouldn't lie about something like that. Not to you." he smiled slightly, nudging her.

She met his gaze and finally smiled fully. "Okay."

They went off to eat then, talking about each of the fights with Sanosuke explaining certain moves to her. And later that day when the ones who made chuunin were announced, it was no surprise to see that all of the Uchihas made it, as well as his cousins. Because after all, Uchihas always won, one way or the other.


	7. Drifting

**Enigma**

_Chapter Seven_

-Drifting-

_**Two Years Later…**_

Talia hurried down the halls of the stadium used for the Chuunin Exams, trying to catch Sanosuke before he was introduced out to the crowd. It was finally his turn to show everyone just what he could do, and he was so excited. But she could tell under that cool façade he was also just as nervous. She finally slowed when she came to a door that looked similar to the one Sanosuke's father, Akito, had described. She knocked loudly and was greeted by a bored looking jounin. He arched a curious brow, but gestured for her to speak.

"Can I talk to Sanosuke please?" she asked sweetly, lacing her hands together as she looked up at him in all her innocence. "It will be real quick, I promise."

The jounin sighed, but of course it was impossible to say no to such a sweet girl. He glanced back and cleared his throat. "Uchiha. Someone to see you." He announced.

Sanosuke walked up then, appearing bored like he always did. He was taller and a bit lankier, though that was because he was transitioning from a boy into a man. His hair was shorter than he usually kept it, and while he did look even more like his grandfather, Sasuke, his face was a bit softer than the Uchiha patriarch's. Surprise lit his forest green eyes, but he masked it quickly. "Thank you." he nodded to the jounin, dismissing him so that they could have some privacy. When they were alone he looked back at the blonde girl. "Talia, what are you doing down here? Shouldn't you be up with my family?" he asked.

"I just wanted to wish you good luck." She said, giving him a bright smile. "I know you've been freaking out about these exams for the past couple of weeks. I just wanted to tell you that you are going to do awesome!"

"I haven't been freaking out." he huffed, glancing back to make sure that nobody had heard her. "I've just been preparing…I cannot afford to fail in this…alright, maybe I was freaking out a little bit." he conceded, crossing his arms. "But I'm not nervous or anything."

She smiled once more and hugged him tightly. "I know you'll blow everyone away. Even your mom and dad."

He returned her embrace, burying his face in her hair and inhaling her familiar, soothing scent. "I'm going to prove that I'm strong enough to protect you now." He whispered, his hold tightening slightly. "So that you'll never have to be afraid ever again."

She nodded, staying in his embrace as long as possible until she had to pull away from him. "Just don't get hurt, kay? I don't wanna have to patch you up at your victory ceremony." Talia grinned, before running back the way she came so she wouldn't miss anything.

Sanosuke smiled as he watched her run off, before turning and going back inside to wait to be called for his match. He was going to win this, and he was going to do it for not only himself, but for Talia. Because he wanted her to see how strong he really was, and know that he was capable of protecting something as precious as a diamond like her.

* * *

><p>Sanosuke couldn't help the small smile that came to his face as he was named the winner of the Chuunin Exams. Once that was over, he turned and made his way up to the private box that his father and the other Kages were sitting in. Walking with him was Vitani, the Mizukage's daughter. She had fought well, and even made it pretty far, but when they had been paired off in the last fight he had had no choice but to beat her. And, surprisingly enough, she didn't seem upset about her loss.<p>

They pushed the doors open, and barely had time to prepare themselves for the onslaught of smiles. "Sanosuke!" Talia cheered, tackling him to the ground and hugging him tightly. "You we're so amazing! I got chills!"

He smiled once more. "Thank you." he said, sitting up slightly as he hugged her. "Which one of my moves was your favorite?"

"That one where you sheathed your sword and then drew it so fast you sliced right through the magma! It was so cool!" she gushed, snuggling against him.

Sanosuke's smile widened, and the joy on his face was something that didn't go unnoticed by any of the people watching the adorable scene. "That one was more spur of the moment than planned out. I didn't even know if it would work."

"It was still mind-blowing." She told him, her smile widening.

Natsumi nodded. "It was very good Sanosuke." She smiled, wanting to hug her son as well, but she knew he wanted to spend this moment with his Talia. "Probably the most skilled swordsman I've ever seen."

"Greater than any I've seen in our swordsmen!" Vincent chuckled.

"What did you think of the fight Kanamé?" Vitani asked, finally taking interest in the conversation as her aqua gaze slid over to the eldest triplet.

"It was definitely interesting to watch." He said, giving her a small smile. "Though I knew my brother would win."

Izayoi went slightly wide eyed and hit her brother over the head. "Don't say that, idiot."

Vitani frowned. "Well I did too, but you don't have to point it out." she said, crossing her arms.

"What?" Kanamé blinked. "I said it was a good fight." He defended, clearly not seeing what he had said wrong.

The brunette rolled her eyes slightly and sighed, turning and walking off towards her mother and younger brother to talk to them. Akito chuckled. "We need to work on your people skills Kanamé." He said, ruffling his son's hair. He looked at Sanosuke. "Congratulations son, you deserve your victory."

"Thank you father." Sanosuke said, the smile still on his face. He looked down at Talia, who was still nestled comfortably against him. "Talia, this floor isn't exactly comfortable." He pointed out, not wanting to diminish her joy at seeing his awesome power but wanting to stand, because he knew his mother was dying to hug and coddle him as well.

A dark blush appeared on her cheeks as if she were just now realizing this. "Oh, I'm so sorry." She moved off of him quickly and helped him back to his feet. The second he had his bearings, his mother had him in another tight embrace.

"You did wonderfully Sanosuke! I'm so proud." She gushed.

"Yeah!" Izayoi nodded. "It was great!"

"Mother…" Sanosuke said. "I can't breathe."

She only giggled. "Such a good boy I have!" she said, completely ignoring him.

"Sweetheart, give our champion some air." Akito chuckled.

"He's fine." She huffed.

Talia smiled and pointed at Sanosuke's face, "He's turning somewhat blue."

Natsumi gasped and released her son, who began to gasp for the air he'd been deprived. "I'm so sorry sweetie!"

"It's okay." he said, actually staying in his good mood. He just felt like nothing could bring him down right now.

Sasuke walked up to his grandson and placed his hand on his head. "A job well done Sano." He said. "You executed the moves I taught you flawlessly. There were a few mistakes, but they were minor details we can go over later."

Sanosuke nodded. "Yes grandfather." He said, not offended in the least, since that was the nicest compliment the elder Uchiha had probably ever given in his life.

Talia clapped her hands, simply radiating delight. "And now you'll be a chuunin Sanosuke!"

"I'm hoping to be ready to take the jounin exams when my brothers and sister do." He told her.

Hayate beamed at his older brother. "That's such a great goal Sano! I hope I can be as driven as you when it comes to mine!" he laughed.

"It's not going to happen though." Noriaki scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

Akito hit his second oldest on the back of the head. "Noriaki, don't be so rude to your brother on his special day." He ordered.

The middle triplet grumbled, rubbing his head where he was hit and glaring over at his father. "Better than letting his dreams build only to be crushed." He huffed, earning him another hit.

"Stop hitting my baby." Natsumi scolded her husband.

Talia shook her head and took Sanosuke's hand in her own. "I'm so proud of you."

He looked down at her and smiled slightly, though she could tell that his happiness had been diminished. "You wanna get out of here?" he asked.

She nodded and her grip tightened encouragingly. He glanced up at his family, who were having a debate based on Noriaki's words, and sighed. So, instead of saying anything, he pulled Talia closer and wrapped an arm around her waist, allowing his sand to sweep around them and carry them away. When they reappeared, they were in a secluded spot in the park. Instead of releasing his friend, Sanosuke brought her closer and silently laid his head on her shoulder.

The blonde wrapped her arms around him, gripping the back of his shirt as she held him there. "It's okay Sanosuke. Don't listen to him."

"I just wish…he could say something nice to me for once." He said, letting her soothe him.

"It's Noriaki." She said, as if that alone explained it. "He can't be nice to anyone but himself and Izayoi. You were so amazing and so good, everyone was impressed. I don't even think he blinked the entire time you were fighting."

He lifted his head and looked down at her. "Really? Not once?"

She giggled. "Well, maybe once, only cause' his eyes were getting so dry."

A small smile came to his face. "You're amazing, you know that?" he asked, reaching up and brushing some of her hair from her face.

Talia gave him a somewhat sly smirk. "How come you say that?"

"Because you always manage to make me happy somehow." He replied.

"I try pretty hard." She admitted, a light pink dusting over her cheeks. "You don't make it easy sometimes. But that smile…" she trailed off, cupping his cheek as she took it in. "Is always worth it."

His smile widened, and he searched her face before resting his forehead against hers. She was just so pretty, he couldn't believe he was lucky enough to have her in his life as his best friend. And then a thought entered his head…what if she was more? "It's not as great as yours…" he said softly, for once not thinking about his actions as he leaned in and lightly pressed his mouth against hers in a soft, quick kiss.

Talia's eyes widened to the size of saucers as his lips pressed against hers. She was so shocked, so blown away by how amazing it was to kiss Sanosuke, she completely forgot to react. It was just so unlike Sanosuke to be so smooth and thoughtless in an action, she could hardly believe it was even happening.

He pulled away from her then, opening his eyes only to be met with Talia's shocked face. His eyes widened as he realized he had not only stolen her first kiss, but that she probably hadn't even liked it. After all, despite him thinking it was amazing, it had been his first kiss as well. "U-um…" he stuttered, unable to think of an apology to offer her, since he had just taken away one of the most important things a girl had. "Talia, I'm so sorry." He said quickly, before his sand picked up and began to wrap around him.

The blonde gasped and reached out, managing to grab his shirt, but then he was gone. "Sanosuke! No!" she called out, falling forward a bit since she'd been trying to hold onto him. She looked around, tears swelling in her eyes as she called out for him once more. Had it really been that bad to kiss her? Was he running away because she hadn't reciprocated or it wasn't like he had hoped?

Defeated, she shut her eyes and tried not to cry. She had to fix this before things got worse, and hopefully it was all just a misunderstanding. With those thoughts in mind she ran off towards the Uchiha District, intent on finding her best friend.

After hours of searching, Talia slumped against a tree, sliding down to the ground as she groaned. She'd searched everywhere for her friend and hadn't found him anywhere. Where had he gone? He wasn't home, or at his grandfather's, none of his family had even seen him since his disappearance. She tried not to cry. This was all her fault for being unprepared. She probably wasn't even that good of a kisser anyways. But she knew one thing was for certain. She wouldn't have been so caught off guard if she was a ninja.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Five weeks later…<strong>_

Sanosuke entered his home, feeling exhausted but not showing it. He had just gotten back from a long mission with his team, and wanted nothing more than to lay down on his bed and sleep. But, it was the middle of the day, and that meant he needed to be productive. So he went back to his room and began to unpack his gear, before taking a shower.

His parents were at work, and he knew Hayate was at school, so he didn't have to worry about running into them. At this time of the day his elder siblings would be training with his grandfather if they weren't out on a mission, and so as far as he was concerned, he had the house all to himself. As he stood under the hot water from the shower, he couldn't help but reflect on the past month and a half.

After his disastrous kiss with Talia he hadn't known what to do, and so had gone up to the Hokage Monument to be alone and think. And, since he couldn't come up with anything rational at the time, he'd done the next logical thing and accepted mission after mission so that he was away from the village, and wouldn't risk running into the blonde. But, there was only so long he could avoid his problems, and after this last mission he was done. He wanted to be home for more than a day and get to see his family, and more importantly, he wanted to see Talia. He missed her smile, her laugh, her very presence.

So when he finished his shower he dressed in his normal clothes and headed to the blonde's apartment, hoping she was home. He knew he had some explaining to do, but hopefully Talia would forgive him, and they could work things out. After all they were best friends, and she wouldn't stay mad at him over one kiss, it just wasn't like her.

When he reached the familiar door he knocked, clasping his hands behind his back in order to hide the slight fidgeting he was doing with his fingers as he waited for the door to be answered. When it did open, it was to reveal one of Sanosuke's least favorite people, and that was saying something. "The brat's not here." Hajime sneered, leaning against the doorframe and looking over Sanosuke. "Where you been anyways? I thought she was annoying when she's happy all the time, but her crying is even more irritating."

"Where is she?" Sanosuke asked, not in the mood to have any sort of conversation with this man.

"How should I know?" Hajime scoffed, slamming the door in Sanosuke's face.

He glared at the door, before turning and walking back down the stairs. He tried to think of where Talia could be, and so he checked all of her usual spots, expanding his chakra in search of her own. When he sensed her, he turned and picked up his pace, wanting to see her more than anything. Because even though her stepfather was a terrible man, he had told him about Talia's tears, and that meant that something had happened to her while he'd been away. Something that had made her upset.

Finally he came upon the park, and located his blonde haired friend sitting at one of the benches drawing a picture. Slowing his pace, he walked over to her, before taking a seat next to her on the wood. "What are you drawing?" he asked, getting her attention.

She stopped and looked over at him, appearing slightly confused. Not saying anything, she focused back down and continued to draw. "A bird." She replied, continuing to draw the small birds. "What do you want?" she asked, almost sounding accusingly.

He frowned, not liking her reaction to him being back at all. "Well…I just got back." He said, as if it weren't obvious. "And I wanted to see you."

"Well that's certainly a shock." She grumbled, trying to focus on ignoring him, though it was hard. She couldn't lie to herself and say she didn't miss him. Because she had, so, so much. But he'd just left and after such turmoil, she couldn't just forgive him for ignoring her.

"Why would that be a shock?" he asked, managing to keep his oncoming panic attack hidden. "I missed you."

She slid her pencil into the spiral of her drawing pad and looked over at him. "You could have fooled me."

Sanosuke stood and looked down at her. "Talia, I haven't been home in over a month, how could I have made you believe that I didn't miss you?" he asked. "I know I should have come to see you before I left, and I'm sorry. But I came to see you now, before seeing anyone else. So unless you're going to stop beating around the bush and actually tell me what's wrong with you, I'm going to go find someone who will be glad that I'm back."

"Fine." She stood, making him step back since they were nearly against one another. "Then go." She actually glared, before pushing past him and walking off. She held her sketch book closer to her, her grip tightening until her knuckles were white.

He frowned, and instead of doing what she said, he went after her, grabbing her by her arm and pulling her back against him. And before she could react, he had his arms around her in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry." He repeated in a whisper, burying his face in her hair. "Please…I just want to be with you…forgive me." he pleaded.

Her form was rigid for a moment before she rested her head against his chest. "You didn't even say goodbye." She sniffed, unable to stop herself from crying.

"I didn't know what to say…I wouldn't have been able to leave if I'd come to see you." he admitted, rubbing her back. "I'm sorry."

She moved her hands around him, burying her face in his shirt. "You're so stupid…" she grumbled. She pulled away slightly, looking up at him. "Can we just forget…all _that_ happened and just go back to how things were? I miss you…"

His brow furrowed slightly. So she just wanted to remain friends, and not become anything more. And while that saddened him, he understood, and would accept keeping their relationship on a friend basis. It would just have to be enough. "Alright." he nodded, reaching up and running his fingers through her long golden hair. "I miss you too."

She smiled, relishing in his touch. "Try not to be gone so much okay?" she asked. "I deserve some Sanosuke time too."

The Uchiha returned her smile a bit hesitantly. "Well, technically since I was gone for so long I have a week of vacation." He said. "It's the rules, and my mother will make me follow it, since she hasn't seen me in so long either."

She pouted. "But that means she's going to hog you."

"I promise not to let her." he chuckled. "After all, you are important to me, and she knows you make me happy. She wouldn't do anything to keep me from being happy."

"Good." She smirked, hugging him once more. "So, you want to go get some food?"

"Yes." He nodded. "I'm starving."

Talia took his hand in her free one and pulled him with her towards the restaurants of Konoha. She was glad he was back and they had somewhat made up, but she was still sad. It seemed their brief kiss really had only been a heat of the moment act. She shook those thoughts from her head and smiled back at Sanosuke. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." He said, meaning it. He would never be gone from home for so long again if he could help it. They had been the most depressing weeks of his life. And while everything was okay between him and Talia, he couldn't help but think about what would have happened if she had appreciated and returned his affections. But he wouldn't say anything to her about it, after all, actions speak louder than words, and if she didn't want that, then any sort of confession from him probably wouldn't be accepted either. And there was no way he would endure a rejection like that.

Seeming to pick up his darker turn of thoughts, Talia squeezed his hand, giving him an inquisitive look. He simply smiled at her, picking up his pace so that he could lead the way to her favorite restaurant. He wouldn't think about such things anymore. What was important was that he was home, and things between them were good. He would just have to accept staying Talia's friend, and be sure that he was always there for her, no matter what.


	8. Turmoil

**Enigma**

_Chapter Eight_

-Turmoil-

_**One year later…**_

Sanosuke stood in the rain outside his house, staring through the window at his family, who were all clearing the table from dinner. He took in the smiles on their faces, the easygoing, carefree environment, and felt sick to his stomach. Before any of them could sense his sand, he turned and ran off, disappearing into the stormy weather.

He'd just returned from a mission, which had been successful, but to him it seemed like a disaster. He could still picture the look on the man's face as the life left his eyes, and it made his stomach churn. So, he went to the only person he knew could quell this feeling in him.

Talia.

Since he didn't want to see anyone but her, he leapt up into the tree across from her apartment building, before jumping across and running up the side of the building to where her bedroom window was located. Stopping, he peered inside, and saw that the lights were off, meaning she wasn't there. But he could sense her in the small abode, and so knew she was probably finishing her dinner. So, he slid her window open slowly and quietly, before climbing inside. Not wanting to get her bed wet, he stood by the window, closing it and looking out at the storm as he waited for her to come back to go to bed.

It wasn't much longer that Talia came into her room and flipped the lights on, nearly screaming her lungs off since she had not been aware of the person in her room. But when she saw it was Sanosuke, she clamped her mouth shut. From the other room, Talia's mother called. "Everything okay Talia?" she asked.

She almost said it was just Sanosuke, but the look on the Uchiha's face told her to keep quiet. "Nothing." She said back. "Just stubbed my toe." She yelled, shutting the door and muffling whatever her stepfather muttered back. "Sanosuke?" she whispered, walking over to him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, but then looked over his wet clothes. "Why are you wet? What's wrong?" she blinked, sensing his chaotic aura.

"I just got back from a mission." He said.

"Well get those clothes off." She scolded. "You're going to catch cold." The blonde said, grabbing his shirt and pulling it up and over his head.

"What am I going to wear instea-" he gasped, a light blush coming to his cheeks. "Talia!" he complained, since she had pulled his pants down in her mission to get him dry.

"You'll just have to survive with a towel while your clothes dry." She scolded, stopping once she was down to his boxers. When she straightened, she had to pause because he was now nearly naked in her room and the thought made a dark blush come to her cheeks, especially at the sight of his defining muscles. Before she could lose her thoughts, she shook her head and grabbed a towel and began to dry him off.

"I can dry myself you know." He sighed, though he didn't make a move to stop her.

Talia huffed, giving him a scolding look. "Be quiet." She ordered, covering his face with the towel and drying his hair and face. When she was done with the task, she got another towel and held it out to him. "Now take off your boxers." She ordered, gathering the rest of his clothes and hanging them on the ledge above her space heater.

Sanosuke rolled his eyes and did as he was told, wrapping the towel around his waist and tying it so that it wouldn't fall. Then he slipped off his boxers, making sure nothing was revealed. When he made a move to go and hang them up, Talia snatched them from him and did it herself. So he just sat down on the edge of her bed and watched her, letting her take care of him. He would never tell her this, but he liked it when she fussed over him like this. She was just so commanding, and it was really cute.

When she was done, she walked back over to him and stood before him, cupping his face in her hands and looking down at him. "Now what's wrong?" she asked, her commanding tone gone, replaced with nothing but concern.

"Would you stay my friend no matter what I do?" he asked. "Even if it's terrible?"

"What did you do?" Talia asked, her brow furrowing slightly. She'd never seen him look so shaken and unsure.

"I killed a man." The Uchiha said, and she could feel him stiffen at his own words. "I had to, otherwise the mission would have failed. And I don't feel bad about it…at least I didn't, until I started thinking about the what ifs." He explained somewhat hurriedly, fearing her reaction to his news.

But all she did was close her eyes and wrap her arms around him in a comforting embrace. Though, she didn't know what to say. She didn't know how she felt about his hands, the ones that held her so many times, ending someone else's life. But she knew for sure that as long as he came back, she didn't care. He held her in return, practically burying his face in her stomach. "What if he had a family?" he asked softly. "A wife, a child…and how can my family be so happy…when I know they've killed people before as well…does it not affect them?" he wondered. "Am I just…" he stopped then, because he couldn't say it. He couldn't ask her if this made him weak. He couldn't be weak, he was an Uchiha. And Uchiha were not weak.

Talia kneeled down and looked up at him. "I know…I'm not a ninja…but I think you just have to focus on getting back to the ones who love you. I know it's selfish…" she paused, looking down. "But I couldn't bear it if you were gone. It's so selfish and so wrong of me to say…" she began to tear up, unable to stop her crying. "But, you'd have to come back to me. Because I would rather someone else be in pain than me…"

"Talia." Sanosuke frowned, reaching down and cupping her face, lifting it back up to him. "It's not terrible, it makes sense. But you don't have to worry. I promise I will always come back to you. You're so important to me…" he said, wiping away one of her tears with his thumb.

She nodded, trying to compose herself. "I know it's bad, but maybe…if it helps, you could just focus on not making me sad? Instead of some other people that might not exist?" she asked, hugging him once more.

"I can do that." he nodded, returning her embrace. "I'm sorry for showing up like this…I didn't know where else to go, who else to talk to…you were all I could think about."

"It's okay." She smiled. "It makes me happy that you came to me."

The corner of his mouth tilted up in a slight smile. "Good." he said. "So…would it be too much trouble if I stayed with you tonight?"

She smiled. "Of course not." She said, standing and going over to her door. "You just have to be quiet so my mom and her husband don't hear." Talia told him, locking her door before hurrying over to him. "Now luckily…" she trailed off, digging through her dresser next. "I actually think I have some boxers you can borrow while we sleep." She mumbled, pulling out a pair of purple boxers with yellow flowers. "Tah dah!"

He gave the things a disgusted look. "Where did you get _those_?" he asked in disdain.

"Well." She blushed. "I always…thought 'what do they feel like' so…I got some."

The Uchiha continued to look at them as if they had the plague. "I suppose they'll do…just don't say anything about me wearing such girlie boxers." He said.

"I think it'll make you look cute." She smirked, waving them a bit.

Sanosuke rolled his eyes and took them from her, smiling slightly. "You mean I'm not cute without them?" he wondered, putting them on beneath the towel before removing it and holding it out to her.

She shrugged, "I think you're more handsome than cute." She said, blushing a dark red.

"Good answer." He said, sitting down on the edge of her bed and lying back, staring up at her ceiling. "I'll close my eyes while you change if you want. I promise not to look."

"Promise?" she asked, keeping her eyes on him.

"Promise." He repeated, shutting his eyes just to make her feel more secure.

Talia stood at her dresser, nearly freaking out. She couldn't make any mistake in this next part. She had to look super cute, she was going to sleep with Sanosuke and she had to look her best. Realizing she was taking too long, she dug through her top drawer until she found her prettiest nightgown. It was white, with small blue bows where the straps met the top. It was simple, but cute, and stopped just below her rear.

When she was completely changed, she grabbed her brush and brushed out her hair, making sure she looked perfect before she told Sanosuke he could open his eyes once more. He did so, sitting up and taking a look at her. And the momentary surprise that flashed across his face was one of the biggest victories Talia had ever felt. "Wow…" he said before he could catch himself, a small blush coming to his cheeks. "Um, I mean…you look nice." He said, clearing his throat slightly.

"Thanks." She practically swelled with glee before jumping on the bed with him. "This is our first sleep over." The blonde giggled.

"I suppose it is." Sanosuke said, getting beneath the covers along with her. They laid so that they were facing one another then. "I've never been to a sleepover before."

She gave him a small smile. "I know. I'm your only friend Sano, and since this is our first, I figured."

"Smartie pants." He smirked, reaching out and flicking her forehead lightly.

"Hey!" she pouted, scooting closer to him. "Don't be so mean. It's my bed." She grumbled, really wanting to snuggle against him, but she didn't know what was allowed or not.

Sanosuke chuckled. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry." He said, opening his arms up as an invitation. He'd been around his mother and father long enough to know the signs of when a woman wanted to be held by her man. And while he wasn't Talia's man, he was the closest thing to it, at least that's what he liked to think.

Talia smiled, moving against him and curling around him. "Now just sleep Sano." She told him, resting her cheek against his chest. "I promise not to let go the entire night so you can sleep soundly."

He couldn't help but smile and wrap his arms around her as well. "I should be the one saying that to you." he murmured. "Talia…thank you." he breathed out, resting his head against the top of hers. "This means…a lot."

"Well you're my most important person Sanosuke." She told him sleepily. "I have to take care of you, you're too hard on yourself." She mumbled, yawning as she closed her eyes.

"You're my most important person as well." He whispered. "Goodnight Talia. Sleep well."

"Night." She barely got out, before she fell asleep in his arms.

A small smile came to Sanosuke's face as he listened to the soft sound of Talia breathing. He was glad that he had come here. In the end, she had made all of his troubles go away, something he knew his family wouldn't have been able to accomplish. She may just be a civilian, but she was special, with abilities all her own. And she was his. "Talia…I love you." he said so quietly even he could barely hear it. His eyes shut then, and it wasn't long before he was asleep as well, his head filled with dreams of the girl in his arms.

* * *

><p>The next morning Sanosuke was awakened by the sounds of birds chirping as the sunlight hit his eyes. He squinted, opening them fully once his green irises were used to the light. Odd, he thought, he was usually up at dawn, not afterwards. Judging by the position of the sun in the sky, it was nearing eight. He'd slept in today, and he didn't mind at all.<p>

He looked down at Talia and smiled at her sleeping face. It was just so cute. "Talia." He said, brushing some of her hair aside. "It's time to get up. I have to return home soon."

She yawned, grumbling slightly. "Too early…" she sighed softly.

"You want me to just go and let you sleep?" he asked, rubbing her back. "I can always come back later today."

Her grip on him tightened. "No."

"Alright." he said, staying in place and continuing to rub her back.

They stayed that way for a while, until a loud knocking on the door jarred both of them up. "Talia! Get your lazy ass up! Where's my breakfast!" Hajime demanded from the other side of the door. "And why is this door locked!?" he nearly exploded, before busting the door in to see the two of them in bed together. "What the fuck?" he demanded.

Talia's eyes widened slightly, but before she could get a word out Hajime was already yelling once more. "Damn little whore! What do you think you're doing! You're not good enough to sleep your way to the top."

Sanosuke sat up and glared at the man. "Go away." He ordered, his sand appearing out of nowhere and shoving the brunette out before blocking the doorway completely to give them some privacy. "I don't like him." he said lowly, looking down at Talia.

Talia sighed. "I don't either…" she admitted, looking at the sand blocking the way. "You should probably go."

"Come with me." he said, reaching up and running his fingers through her hair. "My family can wait…let's spend the day together."

"I can't just…leave…" she trailed off, looking to the door and wincing when Hajime began to scream in rage once more.

"Why not?" Sanosuke asked, a small frown marring his brow. "You don't actually want to stay, do you?"

Talia frowned. "No…" she admitted.

"So why can't you come with me?"

"It's just going to make him madder…" she tried to explain. "And when he gets mad…" Talia swallowed.

He blinked, confused. "What happens when he's mad?"

"N-nothing." She trembled slightly, before looking to the door once more. "Okay, let's go."

Sanosuke nodded, turning and getting up from the bed. He walked over to her space heater and checked his clothes, pleased that they were dry. "You can go ahead and get dressed, I'll face away while I do the same." He said, looking over at her.

Talia nodded and faced away from him, beginning to pull off her night gown a bit quickly so that Sanosuke caught a look at her bareback and almost her bare butt. His eyes widened, and he turned away to hide the blush on his face as he began to dress. She was so tiny, much slenderer than he had imagined, and her skin looked so soft, so flawless.

Not wanting to dwell on it he finished his task in a hurried fashion, hoping that the blush wouldn't still be on his face when he turned around. "You done?" he asked, continuing to face forward.

"Yeah." She said, tapping his shoulder. He turned around, catching her somewhat scared and downcast expression. She was wearing a white tank top and dark blue capris. "You wanna go?"

"Yes…Talia what's wrong?" Sanosuke asked. "Normally you're excited to spend a day with me…"

Her eyes widened and she hugged him quickly. "No! It's not that, I do." She told him. "I'm just…" she paused, looking up at him. "I'm afraid of him."

"Why?" he blinked, confused as he held her. Then his gaze hardened. "Talia…is there something you're not telling me?"

She shook her head. "No…he's just scary…" she said, looking down. "And he says things…that really…worry me…"

"What does he say?" he began to stroke her hair to try and soother her.

"Can we just leave." She said strongly, gripping him tightly as the yelling got louder.

"…okay." the Uchiha said, the sand moving from the doorway and wrapping around him. Sanosuke looked up and met Hajime's gaze with a hard, red glare, before the grains took them away and out of that place, depositing them in the food district outside of a small café. "Come on, let's get some breakfast."

Talia nodded and took Sanosuke's hand in her own. "He threatens to hit me." She told him.

His grip on her hand tightened as they went inside and to a table. "…he hasn't though…right?" he asked, not remembering seeing a bruise on her when he'd caught that glimpse of her.

She shook her head. "Not yet…"

"Tell me if he does." Sanosuke said, making her halt before she could sit down. "Okay?"

"I will…" she said, trying to give him a small smile.

"Good." he said, kissing her forehead without a second's thought before releasing her hand and taking a seat.

She sat down as well, unable to stop the smile that was now on her face. They enjoyed their breakfast together, and Talia completely forgot about her stepfather for the day. After all, how could she possibly stay fearful when she had such a strong Uchiha for a guardian angel?


	9. Character Building

**Enigma**

_Chapter Nine_

-Character Building-

_**One year later…**_

Sanosuke stood at the gates of the village, looking out at the forest, for once sad to be leaving the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He had had the idea of training with his grandpa, the Fifth Kazekage, in Suna, in order to perfect his sand techniques. He also had a move that he had been working on where he could control sand, as well as soil, but first he needed to work with sand a bit more. And what better way to do that than in a place surrounded by the grains?

When he had talked to his parents about it, they had suggested he go for a year to train under his grandpa and uncle. He had balked at the idea at first, for how could he be away from Talia for that long? But when they had explained it to him, it made sense. His cousin Ami would go to Iwa to train under his Aunt Satomi, and his other cousin Sora would come here to train with his parents and work on his taijutsu. So in a way, it was like an exchange program.

Talia of course hadn't been happy about it, but when he'd explained to her how beneficial it would be, she had begrudgingly understood. But one thing was for certain, neither of them were looking forward to the separation. Because while she could always come and visit him, it wasn't likely her parents would allow it. And when he said parents, he meant her stepfather, Hajime. That man had become even more controlling ever since Sanosuke had taken her from her apartment that one morning, but there was nothing he could do about it. Technically he was her father, and therefore, he had to treat the brunette with respect, or as much as he could muster anyways.

He turned and looked at his family, who were all standing off to the side. They had come to wish him farewell, as well as greet his cousin Sora, who should be arriving any minute now. Normally Sanosuke would have left by now, but he was waiting for Talia. She had promised she would come as soon as her classes ended, and he refused to leave without saying goodbye to her. Never again would he leave the village without a farewell to the blonde.

His parents were discussing a few details about how they would test Sora to see how good he was, and so weren't too bored. Hayate was talking to Chitose, the girl he'd been in love with since birth. She was Inuzuka Haru's daughter, and had long brown locks, and blue eyes. Sanosuke would admit that she was a sweet girl, and pretty, the perfect package for his little brother. His dark gaze moved to his elder siblings, who all seemed bored in their own right. Kanamé was standing there reading a book, something he always did to avoid having to talk to people, and yet pass the time as well. Izayoi actually didn't seem too bored, for she was giggling and telling their grandfather something funny, and the eldest Uchiha never looked bored when talking to his granddaughter. Noriaki, on the other hand, was clearly tired of standing there and waiting. Sanosuke was sure that his elder brother would rather be off seducing some poor girl than stand here to say goodbye to him, and that knowledge bothered him, though not as much as it used to. He had accepted long ago that of all of his siblings, Noriaki's affection would be something he barely received, if at all. Mostly the ebony haired teen liked to make fun of him and piss him off, and so their relationship was one founded on numerous arguments and insults. And that was just the way it was.

Sanosuke almost wanted to tell him to leave, since he didn't want to be here, but their mother would never allow it. And that woman was scary when she got mad, so it was best to just keep her happy. "Look! It's Sora!" Hayate exclaimed suddenly, making everyone's gazes move to the road. And sure enough, his pink haired cousin was walking towards them with a big smile on his face.

"Hey guys!" the sixteen year old waved, his honey colored eyes alight with happiness. "Long time no see!" he said, stopping before the group of Uchihas.

Natsumi smiled and greeted her nephew. "Hello sweetie! Are you ready to spend an entire year with the Uchiha Clan!"

"Yeah!" he smiled, hugging his aunt. "I'm really excited about learning from you and Uncle Kito. My mom said that as long as I don't come home with an inflated ego and an attitude she'll be happy." He laughed.

The pink haired woman laughed and hugged him tightly. "Oh she's just saying that!" Natsumi giggled. "As if I have an ego?"

Sanosuke arched a brow, but caught his father's gaze before he could say anything. Akito shook his head slightly, signaling for him to keep his mouth shut.

"Sanosuke!" they all heard from down the road. The dark haired Uchiha looked over and smiled slightly when he saw Talia running towards him.

"Hey Talia." Sanosuke barely got out before she slammed into him, hugging him fiercely. He returned her embrace, refraining from running his fingers through her hair like he wanted, since his family was here and watching them. "How was class?"

"Awful! I should have just skipped and spent my whole morning with you." she grumbled, holding him tighter since she knew she wouldn't be able to hold him like this for a whole year. "I'm going to miss you so much." she whispered.

"I'll miss you too." He said, stroking her hair. "But I promise to write you as often as I can."

Talia snuggled into him, despite the fact they had an audience. "Make sure you do." She said. "I wish I could go with you."

"Me too. But you would be so bored during the day while I trained." The ebony haired boy smiled slightly.

"I don't care." She pouted. "It would be better to be with you than here." She said, giving him her saddest look in attempts to get him to stay one last time.

Sanosuke sighed. "Talia…you know I can't. We talked about it." he reminded her, running his fingers through her hair.

Before she could say anything, Noriaki cleared his throat. "Will you two just wrap it up already? This whole lovey dovey scene is getting repulsive." He glared, making Talia blush.

"Lovey dovey?" she whispered.

Sora looked at his elder cousin. "I didn't know Sano had a girlfriend." He said.

A small pink came to Sanosuke's face. "We're just friends." He said, though he didn't release the blonde from his hold. "And shut your face Noriaki. If you don't want to be here anymore you can leave." He said, meeting his brother's glare with one of his own.

The two remained locked in their silent battle before the elder scoffed and looked off, though Sanosuke could have sworn his jade depths were on Talia for a moment. "Try not to die _little_ brother." Noriaki snapped, disappearing in a swirl of sand.

Sanosuke's jaw clenched as he stared at the spot his elder had been, before he returned his attention to Talia. "Sorry about him." he said softly. "You know…how he gets." He told her, though it wasn't clear if he was saying it for her benefit or his own.

"I'm sure he'll miss you just as much as you'll miss him." she said, cupping his cheek and smiling at him.

"Who said I was going to miss him?" he said, glancing down. "It'll be nice not to have to deal with his abrasiveness every day."

"Aw Sano, don't say that about your brother. He's family." Sora said, coming up to them and putting his arm around his younger cousin and pulling on his cheek slightly. "They just get so testy sometimes, huh?" he asked, smiling at Talia, ignoring Sanosuke's slight grumbling as he tolerated the 'affection' from the pink haired boy.

Talia smiled, watching Sanosuke with a loving gaze. "You might want to let go Sora." She warned.

Sora laughed. "You're probably right Talia. I'm surprised his sand hasn't come out and-" suddenly there was a wall of gray sand. The pink haired boy laughed and released his younger cousin. "Yep, there it is." He smiled, letting his iron sand gather back to his gourd, revealing Sanosuke's sand, which had clearly been preparing to strike the Iwa nin.

"You're just lucky you have that, or you'd be a pancake." The Uchiha glared, his sand beginning to dissipate.

The blonde laughed and grabbed Sanosuke's hand, pulling him towards the gates, until they were on the stones that formed the door. She placed him on the other side of the threshold and stood on the side that was Konoha. She gave him her best smile and tried to look happy. "I'll miss you Sanosuke…so come back as soon as you can."

"I will." He promised, letting his sand swirl around them, obscuring the outside world so that it was just the two of them. "One year from today, meet me here. I promise my first day back will be spent with you."

"I promise." She said, reaching her hand out to him. "I'll be here. Exactly one year from now."

Sanosuke reached out and took her hand, pulling her closer to him. He placed his hand on her waist and laid his forehead against hers, looking into her amber depths with his green ones. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone." He said, smirking slightly before he kissed her on the forehead. "Goodbye." He released her, taking a step back before letting go became too hard. Taking in her appearance one last time, he smiled, before his sand condensed around him. And when it cleared, he was gone, leaving Talia with the odd feeling that he had said he loved her. But then again, she couldn't be sure.

Talia stared at the place he'd been, before looking up into the sky. She smiled, before closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of the forest. She could wait a year to see him again, because the only good thing about this was that seeing him would be so wonderful she already couldn't stop herself from counting down. Because their day together would be amazing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four months later…<strong>_

Sanosuke concentrated on moving the single grain of sand, before creating a trail of individual grains and having them slither through the air. His grandpa had invented this technique, telling him that it was important for him to be able to control any amount of sand, no matter how big or small. They had begun his training with large amounts of sand, because it was easier to pour more chakra into larger objects, versus controlling the amount you putting into it.

And so, they had gradually been decreasing the amount of sand he had to move. Now they were down to this, and Sanosuke hated it. It was so difficult, but he wouldn't complain to his grandpa, because he knew it was essential. If he could have perfect control over his sand, then he could develop his new technique better. His grandpa was standing a ways off, his arms crossed with an impassive look on his face, his critical jade gaze analyzing everything that the Uchiha did.

He could hear the sound of someone coming towards them, but ignored it, concentrating on his task. "Sorry for the interruption Gaara-sama, but Sanosuke-sama got a letter." The jounin said, holding out a scroll.

His mind snapping to attention, Sanosuke let his concentration slip as he looked over at the man. "Is it from Talia?" he asked, not even noticing that the grains were beginning to fall back to the ground.

"It doesn't matter." Gaara said sharply. "Do not lose focus or you could lose your life." The redhead said, walking over to the messenger and taking the letter. "Do not interrupt us again." He warned.

"Yes Gaara-sama." The jounin bowed, turning and leaving them.

Sanosuke looked at the letter in his elder's hands, but turn his attention back to his task. "Sorry grandpa, it won't happen again." He said, lifting the sand once more and continuing.

"See that it doesn't." he said, crossing his arms once more. "You wanted this training. Feel the grains, they are a part of you. Your mother could do this before she was ten so I know you can."

He clenched his jaw. The jab was subtle, but he had caught it. And it worked, because it was meant to push him and make him work harder for his goal, which was being allowed to read his letter. He quickly moved the sand and stacked them on top of one another, forming a tower the way he was supposed to. "There." He said, though he held it in place until he was told otherwise. Once he had gotten ahead of himself and let it dissipate, and the redhead had made him start all over.

"Hold it for five minutes." Gaara ordered. "Don't let a single grain out of place."

Sanosuke nodded minutely, trying his best to keep them from moving. He would not allow any of them to move, not if he wanted his letter. Because the old Kazekage was cruel enough to keep it from him until he got this right, and he wasn't willing to wait much longer. The next five minutes that passed were the longest of Sanosuke's life, and a slight sheen of sweat gathered on his forehead from the strain. But the tower didn't falter, not even once, and for that, the young Uchiha was glad.

"Hold it. Your spirit must be unbreakable." The old Kazekage said, making Sanosuke confused for a moment, until Gaara slammed his fist forward and blew all the sand away as if the structure were blown to bits. "Weak." He sighed, straightening. "We're done for today."

The ebony haired teen straightened as well. "Why did you do that?" he asked. "You haven't before."

"I was unaware that opponents these days informed others of their attacks. Like I said, hold it. Your strength and control must be unbreakable." He said once more, tossing him the letter. "Now, who's Talia?"

"She's…" he opened the letter and smiled slightly, "my friend."

Gaara arched what could be a brow. "A _friend_…friend?" he wondered, stepping closer and trying to peer over his grandson's shoulder. "Like a special friend?"

He moved so that his elder couldn't read the contents. "Well…she _is_ special." He said. "She's my most important person…I would do anything for her." he told him.

The redhead smirked. "Do you know who my most important person is?"

Sanosuke looked up at him and blinked. "…grandma?" he asked, since he couldn't think of anyone else his grandpa cherished above all others.

He nodded. "Yup." He almost smiled. "And your dad is your mom's most important person, vice versa as well. If you get what I'm saying." Gaara smirked, placing his hand on Sanosuke's head. "Is she pretty?"

"She's beautiful." The ebony haired boy breathed out. "Her hair is like sunshine, and her eyes liquid gold, and when she smiles it's like I get a glimpse of heaven." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "She makes me happy…and keeps me happy."

"So you love her?" His grandfather asked.

"…yes." Sanosuke said, meeting the redhead's gaze. "But…she doesn't feel the same about me. At least, not the same kind of love."

This seemed to confuse the redhead. "How is that possible? You're an Uchiha, don't girls fall over themselves for you?"

The Uchiha sighed. "Well…I kissed her one time…and she didn't like it." He admitted, looking down. "She said she wanted to pretend it never happened and go back to the way things were."

"Were you acting like a freak?" Gaara sighed, giving his grandson a scolding look. After all, Sanosuke was just as much a Sabaku as he was an Uchiha.

Sanosuke huffed. "No." he said, crossing his arms. Then he frowned. "Well…I sort of…left town for about a month and a half…" he muttered, still ashamed that he had done something like that.

Gaara chuckled. "I don't think she didn't like it. I think she might have thought you regretted it with your disappearance. You should try and just ask her, you may be pleasantly surprised with the answer."

"I don't know…things seem to be going pretty well the way they are…and that was two years ago…she may have changed her mind, if she even liked me like that at all." He said. "Besides, I don't want to make things worse by bringing up things from the past. I'm…comfortable with the way things are." He nodded, though his argument wasn't very convincing, not even to himself.

"Trust me Sanosuke. With your grandmother, I was always messing things up, because I was too afraid to talk to her about them. But when I did, things worked out for the better." He said.

"But…it happened so long ago…isn't it a bit irrelevant now?" the younger man asked.

Gaara sighed. "Why don't you just tell her that you like her?" he suggested.

The Uchiha seemed to consider his words. "I might…but that's not really something one should put in a letter. It'll have to wait until I see her again."

"Well you have lots of time to think of the perfect way to tell her then." Gaara smirked, before straightening. "I'll leave you to your letter." he said before walking off.

Sanosuke shook his head, opening up the letter and beginning to read its contents.

_Dear Sanosuke,_

_I miss you so much I can barely take it! Sora is pretty funny and we've been getting along very well. I think it helps that I have something to distract me so I don't get so sad when I think about it only having been four months! I can't wait for you to get back, I've already got so much to tell you. Everyone's fine, your mom and dad always get annoyed with Sora because he's too goofy. Kanamé reads all the time, as usual, but that girl from the chuunin exams was here again and they seemed to be talking a lot. Noriaki actually has a girlfriend! I never thought it would happen, and I don't know how she stands him. Her name is Hikari, and she's got the biggest boobs I've ever seen for a teenager! Must be why he likes her. Izayoi even has a boy here from Cloud who's been flirting with her and following her around. It's so crazy! I guess love must be in the air, which only makes me miss you more. Well, I hope to hear from you soon! And I hope your training is going well! _

_Love,_

_Talia_

He blinked, rereading her letter. Noriaki has a girlfriend? That was unbelievable, almost as much as the fact that Kanamé was forming a friendship with the Mizukage's daughter. But the part that stood out to him the most was where Talia said that the love in the air was making her miss him more. Did that mean she loved him the way that he loved her? Happiness and excitement swelled within him, but not before the fear and doubt crept up and tampered it. He would just have to wait and see how things were the next eight months. Perhaps he would have more insight to Talia's feelings. Then he could better gauge whether or not he should tell her that he loved her.

Sighing, he rolled her letter back up and put it in his pocket, turning and heading off to his grandparent's house so that he could send her a reply. He couldn't keep his lady waiting, after all.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four Months Later...<strong>_

Noriaki glared across the table as Sora continued to ramble on to both Talia and Hikari about something he had stumbled upon the other day. He was seriously getting annoyed with his cousin being here, in his house. All the guy did was talk, and the more he did, the more his little white haired girlfriend ate him up, loving to hear more. The Uchiha glanced over to Talia before returning his look to Hikari.

She was a beautiful girl, with vivid purple eyes and hair that went just past her shoulders. Her chest was a large one, and Noriaki could tell that the beautiful mounds weren't done growing yet, a fact which excited him greatly. Her figure was perfectly rounded, and in the revealing two-piece outfit she wore, it was almost surprising that she was a ninja. Hikari laughed. "Sora, you're so funny." She said, resting her chin in her hand. "I can't believe you don't have a girlfriend yet. You've been here for eight months after all, surely someone's caught your eye?"

"Nah, not so far." He waved off. "But who knows, right? I could have already met my future wife and not even know it yet."

"I think you would prefer someone with crazy hair like you and your mom though, right Sora?" Talia wondered, smiling over at him.

The pink haired boy smiled. "Yeah, that would be cool. Not that I have anything against plain people, huh Nori?" he joked.

Noriaki's glare narrowed dangerously, but he didn't say anything when he stood and walked out of the room. Talia blinked and watched him go, before looking back at her friends. "What's his problem?"

"I don't know…" Hikari said, watching him leave before she stood and went after him. "Noriaki," she called out, catching up to him and grabbing his hand to halt his departure. "Are you okay? You've been kind of moody lately."

Noriaki pulled his hand from hers. "Sora annoys me." he said, as if that were explanation enough. "And you're always laughing and giggling around him."

She blinked. "Because he's funny." She said. "I don't understand…are you jealous of the attention I give him?"

This seemed to make him scoff. "As if I would _ever_ be jealous of that pink haired weirdo." he grumbled, walking off and disappearing in a swirl of sand.

Hikari frowned, before turning and walking back into the kitchen and sitting at the table. "So what's up with Nori?" Sora asked, halting his conversation with Talia.

"He's just being a jerk." She said, sitting down with a huff. "He did that annoying thing where he says something and then uses his sand to take him away so I can't reply and disprove his stupidity."

Talia sighed. "I miss when Sanosuke used to say things and then get all huffy about it..."

"Well at least you only have four months left to go." Sora said. "It'll pass in no time."

"Four months is a long time to wait!" she pouted. "And I miss him..."

"I get that you two are best friends and all, but you two seem really close." Hikari said. "Is there something more going on between you guys?"

A dark red blush spread across the blonde's cheeks. "Oh no...no, we're just friends. I mean we did kiss once, well he kissed me. But he freaked out about it and disappeared for a month, so I figured he didn't mean it and was so scared of ruining things that he left. So I just told him we should forget about it and go back to how things were before...though they really didn't, cause' he seemed to get more affectionate with me." she shrugged. "He's always touching me somehow, whether it's my hair, or my hand..." she trailed off, only getting more embarrassed. "I mean it's not like I wouldn't like to be something more...he means the world to me. It just doesn't seem like it's going to happen..." she sighed.

Sora smiled at her. "Sounds like he likes you. A lot."

"Mhmm." Hikari nodded in agreement. "Before Noriaki and I started dating, I noticed that he would always make sure he was close to me. Not so close that he could touch me, because I always accused him of sexual harassment, but close enough for me to feel his presence. It was actually torture, because then I found myself wanting him to touch me." she giggled.

Talia shrugged. "I just thought it was a creepy Uchiha thing...cause' I feel like I've been seeing Noriaki more often. Not to mention Akito-sama is always hovering around Izayoi."

"Yeah but that's just because she's his only daughter." Sora said.

The white haired girl gave Talia an odd look. "What do you mean you've been seeing Noriaki more often?"

"Well, after knowing them all so long...I can kinda tell when one of them is around. Like, Sanosuke's feel is always comforting, even before I see him. Izayoi's is always light and fluttery...but Noriaki's is harsh and kinda overbearing. I always feel it at night, when I'm on my way home, sometimes when I'm there. I've even seen him before on my way home a lot. And it always seems like he's watching me, it's really weird." Talia sighed. "At first I thought it was because he was annoyed I was around still when Sano was gone...but I dunno now."

"I wouldn't worry too much about it. They're all weird." Sora smiled, trying to lighten the conversation, since now Hikari had gotten a quiet, contemplative look on her face. "Hey, you guys want to go get something to eat? I'm starving."

Talia shook her head. "No, I started volunteering at the hospital. Today is my first shift and I can't be late." she smiled, standing. "After all, when I turn sixteen they said I could start training to be a nurse. That's only one year away now, so I want to get as much in as possible."

"Alright well we can walk you to the hospital if you want." the pink haired boy offered.

"That's okay." she waved, before heading for the door. "See you guys later." she told them, before disappearing through the door.

Sora turned his honeyed gaze to Hikari then. "So what's up with you? You got gloomy all of a sudden."

"Nothing." She sighed. "Noriaki's just being weird, and it's bothering me."

"Well there's not much you can do about that. He'll talk to you when he's ready." He told her.

She shrugged. "I suppose you're right."

He nodded. "You wanna go grab something to eat? I know Talia can't go, but I'd still like to go with you. "

Hikari looked over at him. It probably wasn't a good idea to provoke her boyfriend any more through eating with his cousin, but what the heck? He'd been following Talia around for some strange reason apparently, so she might as well spend some time with his energetic, comical cousin. It was what he got for leaving her the way he had instead of talking to her about what was bothering him. They had been dating for months now, it was time he started letting her in. "I'd love to." She said, rising and following him out, determined to have a good time without her Uchiha.

* * *

><p>Noriaki's eyes flashed open the second he heard the loud warning gong off in the distance. He sat up quickly and looked around, his usual jade depths now a dark crimson red. He grabbed his shirt from the floor beside his bed and began to pull it on as he ran out the door and into the hall. He saw his mother near the door, but didn't stop to ask her what was wrong. He could already tell by the look on her face that there was something serious going on. "Where are you going?" she demanded as he swiped up his shoes and pulled them on.<p>

He met her gaze for one split second, "Protecting something important." he said, before he disappeared out the door. He took off into the streets, jumping to the tops of the buildings and heading straight for where he sensed her. All around, he could feel the Konoha shinobi and Anbu, spreading out and meeting with this unknown enemy. He could feel them all around and wondered idly where they were from, and how they had managed to get in, but kept forward. He stopped for a moment, glancing at an apartment building. Then he saw her face in her window, and she was hurrying to get ready. Hikari looked out just in time to see him jump off and head in the direction of the hospital.

He heard the crash before he actually saw it, and there on the eastern wing of the hospital was a massive hole blown in the wall.

A slight panic seized him and he moved faster than he ever had before, rushing into the hospital. There were a few ninja he had never seen before and so as he passed, he slit their throats with a kunai he had.

There was another rumble in the vicinity and he couldn't help but wonder if the patients were okay, but his main focus pulled him forward and the next thing he saw was Talia, looking up sharply and going wide eyed as the ceiling began to cave in. Noriaki disappeared and then tackled her out of the way, sliding on the linoleum floor with her safely in his arms.

Talia screamed, but clung to him, almost surprised when she saw who it was who had helped her. "Noriaki?" she questioned, only to have him pull her closer and lift her into his arms as he stood.

"Stay with me." he ordered. "Konoha has been invaded." he told her, letting his sand wrap around them as they disappeared, leaving an extremely confused Hikari down the hall.

* * *

><p>Hikari laid on her bed, fuming as she glared at the ceiling. What the heck was up with Noriaki, saving Talia like that. She understood that the blonde girl was a civilian and basically defenseless, but he'd just ignored her, his <em>girlfriend<em>. She knew he'd seen her getting ready in her room to go out and help, and yet he hadn't stopped to say a word, or even wait. He'd just gone off in the opposite direction.

She's assumed something bad was happening, and so had followed him in order to help. She wanted to be with him, after all, and make sure he was alright during the battle. But he'd just scooped Talia up and left, not even sparing her a glance. And there was _no_ way he hadn't sensed her chakra in the hospital, especially not that close.

After that she'd gone off to help in whatever way she could, until all of the enemy nin were either captured, dead, or chased from the village. It still wasn't clear how they'd gotten in, but Hikari didn't really care about that. What she cared about was the fact that her boyfriend had placed some civilian over her, and hadn't even come to see if she was okay. The invasion had happened this morning, after all, and she still hadn't seen him.

There was a knock on her apartment door then, and so with a groan she got up and walked to answer it. She grabbed the handle, hope swelling in her that it was Noriaki, and opened the door, her mood plummeting as quickly as it had risen at the sight of Sora. "Hey Hikari, I was just coming by to check on you, you know, since I didn't see you earlier. I was over by the front gate." He smiled. "So you all good? No injuries?"

She practically glared at the pink haired boy. "I'm fine." she said.

He blinked. "Oh…okay. Well do you want-"

"What I want is for my boyfriend to be a boyfriend." Hikari snapped, slamming the door in his face. She turned and stomped back to her room, nearly letting out a scream when she almost collided with Noriaki. "Nori…did you come through my window?!" she accused.

"Why would I need to use a window?" he asked, giving her a small glare, as if her question was a waste of time. He looked over her, as if assessing her. "Good. You're fine." he exhaled almost unnoticeably.

She scoffed. "So great of you to finally notice me. If that's all you came for you can leave now." She said, walking past him and plopping down into her bed.

He watched her for a moment, before his brow furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong?"

"Why would something be wrong?" she grumbled, picking at her comforter as she pouted. "It's not like I was ignored this morning, and all day…for someone _else_."

His gaze narrowed slightly. "I'm not interested in Talia." he responded immediately.

She sat up and looked at him. "Then why have you been following her? Sometimes at night? And why did you just keep going this morning to make sure she was okay? I even followed you…and you just left with her."

He almost looked like he was about to get angry, though it was known the Uchiha triplet did not like to be questioned. "I had to protect her. She's important."

"Important how?" Hikari asked. "Is she important to you?"

"Yes." He said strongly.

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because she just is." He glared, becoming uncomfortable. "I don't understand what the big deal is."

"I just need to know." She said, rising. "Is she more important to you than I am?"

"She can't protect herself." He defended, standing his ground. "So in this instance, yes."

Her eyes began to shine with unshed tears as she glared at him. "I understand that, I just don't see why you dismissed me so easily. Like you didn't care. I could have been fatally injured, or died, and you wouldn't even know until now."

"How do you know that?" he snapped. "If anything, it shows I trust you in your abilities to protect yourself."

"But you don't trust me enough to talk to me about what's bothering you. To open up." Hikari said softly. "You just leave and expect me to drop it the next time I see you. As if everything is okay."

"Because it's _none_ of your business." Noriaki yelled, his sand picking up slightly. "And you just need to accept that!"

"No!" she shouted, lurching forward and hugging him tightly, so that if he left, she would go with him. "I'm your girlfriend Nori…I'm supposed to help you through your hard times, just like you help me with mine! To be there for you when you need me, tell you when you're being an asshole, praise you when you deserve it…we're a team…please, don't shut me out. I love you." she whispered, burying her face in his chest as a few stray tears rolled down her cheeks.

Noriaki only frowned, not returning her embrace, though he stared down at her. "It's not my problem either." He said, placing on arm around her waist.

"If it's nothing to do with you, then you don't have to tell me." she said, looking up and meeting his gaze. "But just tell me that, don't tell me nothing's going on, or that it's none of my business, it just hurts my feelings. I thought…I thought you liked Talia…that you were tired of me."

He gave her a harsh glare, but tried to pull it back. "I don't like Talia. She's irritating and noisy and far too antagonistic." He grumbled, but then his expression turned to one she had never seen before. Concern. "But…I think…her step-father is hitting her."

Hikari blinked. "What? Why? She's always so…up-beat." She said.

"Exactly." He said, seeming confused. "I've been trying to catch him in the act, but Talia is so in tuned with my family's chakra, it's hard to follow her now."

"Yeah, she said that all of your chakra feels different." The white haired girl said, a small smile coming to her face. "So you're not tired of me?"

He blinked. "Why on earth would I be tired of you?" he asked, giving her a once over before he smirked. "You're the hottest chick in Konoha and I get to have sex with you every day. How could I get tired of it?"

Her smile widened and she blushed slightly. "Well…we haven't had sex yet today. You were too busy neglecting me." She said, making sure he knew she was kidding.

He chuckled and brushed some of her bangs from her face. "Well then let's get to it." he whispered, taking her hand and pulling her with him to her bed before he closed the door with his sand and their night of fun began.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Four Months Later…<strong>_

Sanosuke stopped a ways away from the village gates, taking a deep breath and collecting himself. This was it. Today was the day. He would finally get to see Talia again after a long year. Assured that he was good to go, he resumed his walk, his excitement increasing the closer he got.

As he rounded the corner and saw inside the village, he took note that his entire family was there, along with a few extras. The extras being some white haired girl and Hayate's love interest. Then his deep gaze landed on Talia, and a look of confusion crossed his face. Was something in her hair? But before he could get a better look, she was running towards him, practically leaping into his arms.

"Sanosuke!" she nearly screamed, tackling him once more. He caught her, just barely keeping his balance as he dropped his two bags. "I missed you so much." she whispered, holding him closer and kissing his cheek in all her bliss.

The Uchiha smiled as well, bringing her close and burying his face in her hair. He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent he hadn't gotten to in three hundred and sixty-five days. "I missed you too Talia." He murmured, nuzzling her. "So much."

She winced slightly, but she only moved closer to him. "Don't you ever leave for that long again." She growled, closing her eyes and enjoying his embrace more than she ever had.

"I won't, I promise. And don't forget, today is our day." He said. "Just you and me."

"I didn't." she giggled. "All mine, and I'm not going to let anyone take you from me."

"Good." he smiled, pulling back to look down at her. His expression of happiness fell instantly, turning to shock. "T-Talia…what did you do to your hair?" he asked, sounding like he had been punched in the gut.

The blonde blinked, staring at him before she touched her hand to her hair and ran her fingers through the few pink and blue streaks. "Oh, Sora convinced me to do it. He said it would give my hair some flavor." She smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Do I _like_ it?" he asked, trying not to spit out the words in his distaste. Then he saw the happiness on her face and bit the inside of his cheek. "It looks nice…I just…prefer the blonde…" he said, reaching out and running his fingers through the un-dyed part. "It's got plenty of flavor just the way it is." He told her.

Her smile slowly fell, a sad look coming to her face. "You hate it…"

"No!" his eyes widened and he shook his head. "It's nice…I mean you've been talking about it since we were kids. I'm just surprised…I was expecting your hair to be blonde like it was when I left."

"Don't lie to me Uchiha Sanosuke." she huffed, crossing her arms and giving him a hard stare. "You don't like, do you?" she demanded. "Do you want me to change it back?"

"Please." Sanosuke said.

She glared at him, her cheeks filling with air as she pouted. "No." she grumbled, turning around and stomping off. "You'll just have to deal with it." she said, walking past his family, who all looked somewhat confused.

"Well." Natsumi laughed awkwardly, facing her son and hugging him. "We're glad you're back sweetie."

"Thanks." Sanosuke said, his gaze staying on Talia's retreating form. "Should I…go after her?" he asked, since he had wanted to see her today.

Izayoi giggled. "I think just let her cool off a bit." she said. "Go put your stuff up and then you can go find her."

Kanamé nodded. "I must say, your reaction was loads better than Noriaki's."

The middle triplet scoffed, glaring at the white haired girl's hair that was streaked with purple. "Well it's hideous."

Hikari rolled her eyes. "He tried to cut it out with scissors while I was asleep." She told him.

Sanosuke arched a brow and looked to his elder brother. "Really?" he asked, trying not to laugh.

"Of course I did…just looking at it repulses me." he frowned.

"Well it's not enough to where it keeps us from fooling around, so I don't really care." Hikari said.

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. Typical. "I'm going to go unpack." He said.

"I'll help you Sano!" Hayate smiled, grabbing one of his elder brother's bags.

Akito grabbed the other one. "I will too."

Natsumi nodded and ushered her family off, "Come on everyone, I'll start lunch." She said as they all headed towards the Uchiha District.

"I missed your cooking mother." Sanosuke said. "I know you learned from grandma, but it's just not the same when she does it."

This seemed to make the pink haired woman smile. "Well Sano, I am the best after all." She said, looking back at him. "Though, I must say, no one missed you like Talia did. Sora and her became very good friends…thank goodness, she might have gone into a depression."

Izayoi laughed. "I don't think Talia can really get depressed mom. She's way too happy all the time."

"She does." Sanosuke said. "In a similar way to when I am truly happy. It's rare and far between."

"Well we kept her plenty occupied." Hayate smiled. "Nori even hung out with her."

He arched a brow at his brother, who was walking along and holding Hikari's hand. "You…spent time with Talia?" he asked dubiously.

"No." he snapped, flashing a glare to Hayate before he and Hikari went into the house with his father and triplets.

Sanosuke paused on the porch of his home, seeming confused. "Why's he acting so hostile?" he asked. "You'd think he was happy I'm home."

"He is Sano, this has nothing to do with it." Hayate reassured him cheerfully.

Natsumi nodded. "Oh yes sweetie, something has had him worried for a while now." She tried to wave it off. "Besides, I think he was just watching Talia because you couldn't. After all, he did save her when Konoha got infiltrated. Put Hikari in quite a hissy fit." She snickered. "He told me he had to 'protect something precious' and when he got her he took her far away until it was all over."

"Hm." Sanosuke frowned, thinking it over. Noriaki had saved Talia because she was precious? What was that about? Could it be that his older brother actually cared for him and his happiness, and that was why he had taken such extreme measures to keep her safe? He wanted to believe that, but sometimes with Noriaki, you never knew.

He continued inside the house, taking in all of the familiar objects. "I'm going to unpack while you make lunch mother." He said, taking his bag from Hayate.

"Alright, sweetie. Just toss your dirty clothes in your laundry and I'll take care of it later." She said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're home my sweet." She said, before walking off.

He smiled slightly and went back to his room, seeing that his father had placed his other bag outside the door. Taking in his room, he wasn't surprised to see not a spec of dust. His mother had probably cleaned it every week when she did the rest of the house. He grabbed his bags and set them on top of his bag, beginning to unpack. He sorted through his clothes, making a pile of his dirty clothes, which weren't many. His grandma had insisted on doing his laundry before he left so that there wouldn't be that much for his mother to do. He shook his head. They were so alike sometimes, it was scary, but nice. He took out the package of gifts he had gotten everyone, before starting to put away his clothes. He sensed his brother's sand then, and looked over to the door. "What do you want?" he asked, picking up his dirty clothes and putting them in his hamper.

Noriaki leaned against the door frame, his jade depths on his brother. His arms were crossed and he looked as if he were trying to figure out how to word bad news. "You…see Talia naked…right?"

Sanosuke froze and gave his elder an incredulous look. "…what?"

"So you don't…" he sighed. "Well you need to."

"Why?" the younger man asked, before glaring at him accusingly. "Have you?!"

Noriaki returned his glare in kind. "Just do it." He ordered, before pushing off the door and walking down the hall.

"Ch." Sanosuke glared, letting his sand take him away. He reappeared at the top of the Hokage Tower and expanded his chakra, trying to get a feel for where she was. Sensing her at the park, he let his sand take him there. She was sketching by the pond, something he remembered she did every once in a while. He didn't understand why Noriaki had told him he needed to see Talia naked. Normally he would think it was because his elder was trying to tell him she was hot, but in this instance, it was as if he were trying to convey something a bit more serious. But how was he supposed to go about that? He hadn't seen her in a year, and it wasn't like they would just suddenly become intimate and naked.

He blushed at the image that came to mind, and shook his head. Then he walked over to her and sat a bit behind her on the grass, wrapping his arms around her midsection and laying his head on her shoulder. "I really did miss you." he said softly.

He felt her wince once more, but she leaned into his embrace. "I missed you too." She said, placing her hand over his.

He frowned and lifted his head from its perch on her and turned her somewhat, catching the slight pain that flashed through her eyes. "Talia, are you alright?" he asked, cupping her cheek. His eyes widened then as he took in her appearance. "Your hair…you changed it back."

"You didn't like it." She said, as if that were explanation enough.

"But…you said I would have to deal with it." he blinked, running his fingers through the newly blonde locks. "I would have gotten used to it…if you liked it and it made you happy."

She frowned. "Don't lie to me Sanosuke." She sighed, reaching up and touching her own hair. "Besides, I already washed it out. So it's fine."

"Just because I would have gotten used to it doesn't mean I would like it. I will always love your hair like this." he told her, playing with some of the strands. He dropped them and looked up at her. "I brought you something." He told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a necklace. It had a glass pendant hanging from it in the shape of an oval, and inside there was sand. But when she looked closer, the sand was moving, twirling in a slow spiral.

Talia blinked and took it from him, cradling it in her hands. She leaned closer to try and figure out what the sand was doing. "Is this your sand?" she asked, looking back at him.

"Yes." He nodded. "I infused it with some of my chakra. This way, I will always be with you no matter what."

This seemed to make her smile. "I love it." She said, offering it back to him and then pulling her hair up so he could put it on her.

He unhooked it and carefully placed it around her neck. Once it was clasped, he lowered his hands, placing one on her hip. "I'm glad." He smiled slightly. "Talia…can I ask you something?" he wondered, rubbing her hip with his thumb, his dark green gaze glued to the spot.

"What?" she asked, her grip on the skirt of her dress tightening until her knuckles were white.

"Why is your skin swollen right here?" Sanosuke asked, meeting her gaze. "And why do you flinch every time I wrap my arms around you?" His eyes narrowed. "Don't lie to me." he said, seeing that she was about to make up an excuse.

Talia frowned, but didn't answer for a while. "It's nothing, I just fell is all…and you always get so worried about me, so I didn't want to tell you."

He stared at her for a while, before sighing and removing his hand from her, sitting back and giving off an air of disappointment. "Very well." He said, staring out at the water as he thought over every scenario in his head, trying to put the pieces together.

She looked back at him, her guilt only growing. She turned and faced him, sitting on her knees. "Please don't be upset Sano…" she pleaded, leaning forward and resting her hands on his shoulders. "I know you don't believe me…but…I think everything will be okay now that you're back."

"I told you when we were younger that I would always be there for you." he said, looking up at her. "That you could tell me anything."

She nodded, leaning forward and resting her forehead against his. "Okay…but if I tell you, you have to promise me not to overreact."

Sanosuke grimaced slightly, but mulled it over in his mind. "Alright…I promise." He said, dreading the news she was about to give him. Because if it was what he suspected, then he might just have to break his promise. The first, and last, promise to Talia he would ever break in his life.


	10. Rage

**Enigma**

_Chapter Ten_

-Rage-

Talia swallowed as she led Sanosuke up the steps to her apartment. When she opened the door, she looked around and smiled when she was sure no one was home. "Alright, come on." She said, pulling him inside and then to her bedroom. Once they were in her room, she sat him down on the bed and tried not to look so nervous. "Now…please don't freak out." She said, her expression turning worried. She turned around and took a deep breath. "It wasn't much later after you left…that it started happening…" she whispered, slowly pulling off the straps of her dress.

And before Sanosuke could ask what, Talia slid the dress off and pulled up her white undershirt so that he could see her back. Sanosuke's eyes widened and he tensed, feeling his heart nearly stop in that instant. All across her shoulders and her back were large, purple and blue bruises. Some were yellowing, but others looked as if they'd been placed there just yesterday.

"Does…he beat your mother as well?" he asked softly, having difficulty breathing with the knowledge that his love had been enduring this for a year.

"No…at least not that I've seen…" she sighed, pulling her shirt back on and righting her clothing. She glanced back at him, though she couldn't meet his gaze. "So…Noriaki told you?"

"He just said…that I needed to see you naked." Sanosuke said, feeling his anger beginning to well up inside of him. "Your mother…she doesn't know he's been hitting you?"

Talia faced forward, trying not to cry. "She does…" she admitted, though her throat felt dry now.

That was the last straw for the young Uchiha. He stood from the bed, and even though Talia wasn't looking, she could feel the temperature in the room drop. "Where is he." He demanded, his voice low.

She turned around, her eyes slightly wide. "No!" she yelled, grabbing onto him. "You can't! You promised!"

"I promised I wouldn't overreact." Sanosuke replied coldly, gently prying her off of him, but keeping a hold of her hands. "Now tell me where he is."

She shook her head, unable to stop herself from crying now. "No! Please Sano, you're better than this!"

"I will not let him get away with hurting the most important person in my life." he told her. They both froze then when they heard the front door to the apartment open. Sanosuke's gaze shot towards the living room.

She grabbed him once more. "Please don't." she begged, giving him the most pleading look she ever had. "If you care about me, you will please just listen to me."

"You would have me do nothing?" he growled, returning his gaze to her.

Talia nodded. "It's easy to hurt someone who hurt you." She said. "It's hard to let go. Don't be like him." She swallowed, slowly hugging him.

"But Talia…you can't be forced to live like this…" he said, holding her carefully so that he didn't hurt her. "It isn't right, and I won't stand off to the side and do nothing while you're being hurt."

She rested against him, burying her face in his chest. "I don't know what to do…but you can't just kill him. He's still a person…"

He scoffed. "I wasn't going to kill him." he said. "I was just going to reason with him, and scare him into staying away from you."

She gave him a look, "That was not what I just felt from you…" she frowned.

Before he could answer, the door opened and Hajime stood in the doorway, looking annoyed. "_You're_ back?" he sneered, glaring at Sanosuke. "Get out. Talia has chores to do." He ordered.

Sanosuke glared at him, and that feeling Talia had before came back. But he didn't release her, and he didn't move. "Fuck off." he said, startling the blonde, since he never used such language.

"Excuse me?" Hajime nearly spat, stepping closer to them. "What did you just say to me, punk?"

"I said fuck off." he repeated. "You can clean up your own messes, Talia is busy right now."

The older man actually laughed, before he smirked and grabbed Talia by the arm, attempting to pull her away. Sanosuke grabbed his wrist and twisted it, forcing him to release her. "You little bitch!" he hissed, glaring at Talia. "Hiding behind your little friendship with the Uchiha." He growled. "Must be nice taking prestigious cock between your worthless legs."

Sanosuke punched the older man square in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Do not ever speak to Talia that way again." He ordered, glaring with his now red eyes. "And if you so much as touch her again, I will break your hands."

"Get out of my house." Hajime spat out as blood filled his mouth from the punch.

He smirked humorlessly. "It was never yours, you leech." He sneered, turning and taking Talia by the hand. He brought her closer, and she felt the familiar, comforting sensation of Sanosuke's sand surround her. When it disappeared she saw that they were in his room at his house, and it was the messiest she had even seen it, since he wasn't done unpacking. "I'm sorry…you had to witness that." he said softly, keeping his hold on her. "I shouldn't have spoken that way in front of you."

"It's okay…" she sniffed, moving closer to him. "Can you just heal me?" she asked softly. "I want you to hold me and it not hurt…"

"Alright." he said, releasing her and stepping back. "You'll need to take off your clothes…at least the ones covering your bruises."

She nodded. "Um…you know…that's going to leave me in my bra and underwear." She said, a small blush coming to her cheeks. "So…could you lock your door…and try not to laugh, cause' I've never been that naked in front of anyone before."

"Yeah." Sanosuke said, turning to do just that. A blush came to his face as well as he thought about it. He was going to see Talia in her underwear. He turned once more and looked at her. "You should be fine now…" he said, feeling his heartbeat pick up in his nervousness.

Talia smiled slightly and turned away, facing the wall as she began to undress. It didn't take her long to get out of her clothing and before she could freak out, she pulled the sheet off his bed and wrapped it around her before sitting down on the middle of it. "Okay Sano, I'm ready."

He walked over to her and sat next to her on the bed. "Talia…" his cheeks darkened once more. "You're going to have to open this up." He said, reaching forward and touching the sheet lightly. "It's okay…I mean, you see me in my underwear all the time." He reasoned for both of their benefit.

"I know…" she blushed, pulling it closer. "It's just embarrassing…cause' well…" she turned darker. "I have boobs now…" she whispered.

"I know…" he said. "But…I won't do anything inappropriate…I mean, we're best friends."

She looked down, and he could have sworn he saw disappointment on her face. "Right." She said, exhaling before slowly lowering the sheet and pushing it aside so that she was mostly bare before him.

His gaze instantly went to her chest and his face turned a light red. "Wow…you really do have boobs…" he said without thinking, before shaking his head and looking up at her. "I mean…lie back so I have easier access."

She nodded and moved a bit, before she grabbed one of his pillows and turned on the bed so her back was to him. "Can you do my back first? Just so I can kinda lay down comfortably when you do the front?" she asked, glancing back at him.

"Yes." He said, bringing healing chakra to his hands and placing them on her back. "I don't want you going back there." He told her. "I fear that…because of how I reacted…he might do something worse than just hit you. And you shouldn't be subjected to that."

Talia looked forward, grabbing her hair and bringing it all over her shoulder so he could work. "I have to go back Sano…I can't just leave my mom there."

"But I can't risk your safety…I just got you back." The Uchiha frowned, sliding his hands lower.

She smiled, looking down at the sheets. "I will be okay Sanosuke. If it'll make you feel better, you can walk me home and I'll give you some kind of sign that I'm okay. If something does happen, I promise to come straight to you."

"Alright…but I still don't like it." he grumbled, placing his hand over the bruise on her hip and resting his chin on her shoulder. He looked down, smirking slightly as he stared at her breasts, or at least what he could see of them through her hair. They had really grown in the last year, to where they looked to be a nice handful. He wanted to touch them, but he had promised to be a gentleman.

"I know, but you'll just have to do what I say." She giggled, already feeling immensely better from what he had healed. "I still can't believe I made it an entire year without you, I definitely never want to do that again."

"Me either. I love my grandparents, but I think I've seen enough of the Sabaku side of the family to last me a lifetime. And not getting to see you or hear you speak was torture." He sighed, kissing the side of her head as he pulled back. "You can lie down now, I got everything on your back."

She nodded and placed the pillow down before she lay down and smiled up at him. "I'm glad. It makes me happy you missed me as much as I missed you."

He smiled down at her. "Talia…I think it's to the point where I can't live without you." he admitted, moving her hair aside and placing his hand on the bruise on her stomach.

She stared up at him, moving her hair for him so it was all out of the way. "I can't imagine what I'd do without you either Sanosuke." She smiled, placing her hand on his knee. "I hope you'll always be with me." She told him, a slight blush coming to her cheeks from both her words and the fact his hand had smoothed up her abdomen to just below her breast.

"I will, I promise." He said, slipping his hand up under her bra on her side to get the rest of the bruise. "We're two peas in a pod, as my grandma would say."

Talia shivered slightly, how she wanted to kiss this ignorant idiot. But what would he do? Should she just go for it? Or would it only weird him out? Then again, she was in only her bra and underwear, what boy in their right mind would turn down something like that? When she saw he was completely done, she sat up slightly and took hold of his wrist, placing his hand on her hip, but dangerously close to her thigh. "I think you missed one." She swallowed, leaning closer to him so they were face to face.

Sanosuke blinked, a small blush coming to his face from where his hand was. "I did? Wh-where is it?"

Talia tried not to growl aloud. Come on Sanosuke. She urged with her thoughts, meeting his gaze. "Right there." She whispered, pressing his hand a bit further down her thigh.

His blush got darker. "There?" he asked, looking down at where his hand was. "You want me too…but I've never…" his brow furrowed. He sounded so lame. "Shouldn't we…you know…kiss or something first? Or did you want me to just…get to it?" he wondered, meeting her gaze.

She sighed and looked off before glancing back at him. "I do want you to kiss me, you idiot." She grumbled, pressing her lips against his before he could say anything against it.

His eyes widened, but he returned her kiss eagerly. They broke for air then, but Sanosuke was back to kissing her not a second later. He gently pushed her back so that he was over her while she was lying down on his mattress. "Talia." He murmured against her lips, cupping her cheek.

She slipped her tongue into his mouth as he spoke her name, deepening their embrace as she wrapped her arms around him. "I've wanted to do this with you for so long Sano." She admitted, letting her hand trail down to the hem of his pants.

"Me too…" he said, placing his hand over her breast and squeezing lightly. "I just didn't know you did, otherwise I would have done something sooner." He slipped his hand beneath the fabric to touch her bare mound.

"That's because you're a moron." She grumbled, moaning softly as she grinded against him.

"I know." The Uchiha said, kissing his way down her neck as he pushed her bra up and tugged on her nipple. "I'm sorry."

Talia gasped, pressing her legs together. "I want you to touch me between my legs Sano…" she blushed.

"Okay." he nodded, smoothing his hand down her stomach to her panties. He cupped her then, before rubbing her through her underwear and feeling how wet she was. Then he pushed them aside and stroked her damp folds, before rubbing her clit experimentally.

Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door and the two separated immediately. "Sanosuke!" Natsumi called through the door. "What are you doing in there sweetie? You know I don't like locked doors!"

"Um…nothing! I was just helping Talia with something…we'll be out in a second!" he replied, having his sand bring them her discarded clothes so she could get dressed.

"No." she whispered, keeping her arms around him. "That's not fair…" she pouted, replacing his hand between her legs. "We were finally…" she gasped, biting her lower lip.

"Talia…" Sanosuke breathed out, rubbing her once more. After all, he couldn't deny her what she wanted, because he wanted it as well.

"What are you two doing?!" Natsumi demanded, banging on the door once more.

He glared over at the door. "Nothing!" he said, his sand gathering in front of the door to act as a sort of shield. "Just please go away! You're embarrassing me!" he said, leaning down and taking her nipple in his mouth.

The blonde moaned, letting her head fall back as he pleasured her. She lowered her hand and snaked it into his pants, grabbing a hold of his dick, which was rock hard. Her blush darkened and she couldn't believe how slutty she sounded, but she had wanted this from him for a long time now. "I bet…" she said, moving against hand and jerking him off. "If you put this hard thing inside of me…it would feel amazing…"

The Uchiha groaned. "Of course it would. You're so wet…" he whispered, slipping a finger inside of her.

The next thing they knew, the sand burst aside and Natsumi appeared, glaring at the bed before going wide eyed. "Oh my God! Sanosuke! What are you doing!"

"Mom!" Sanosuke shouted, his eyes widening as well. He took his hand from inside Talia and grabbed his comforter, pulling it up to cover the blonde. "I told you to go away!"

"Are you two having sex?!" Natsumi nearly shrieked.

Talia's blush turned an unhealthy red as she covered herself with the covers. "Trying…" she squeaked her correction.

"I don't see what the big deal is." Sanosuke grumbled. "Nori'd had sex by the time he was fifteen."

The pink haired woman almost exploded, grabbing Sanosuke's wrist and dragging him out of bed. "Talia get dressed. Lunch is ready." She ordered, pulling Sanosuke from the room and taking him to the training room. "Akito!" Natsumi yelled, stepping inside. "I just caught your son trying to have sex with Talia!"

Akito stopped his exercises and looked back at his wife and son. "Okay…?" he asked, not seeing why it was a big deal. "Perhaps it was her welcome home present to him." he shrugged.

"No…I was helping her with something…and it escalated to that." Sanosuke grumbled, looking down.

"How dare you take advantage of her like that!" Natsumi scolded. "Talia is too innocent for you to use those manipulation tactics on!"

"What?!" Sanosuke's gaze shot up to her. "She came onto me! I'm not going to say no when she asks for it!" he replied, blushing because of his words.

"He has a point dear. I mean, can you imagine me saying no to you that time we were sixteen, and-" Akito started to laugh, but stopped when he caught his wife's murderous gaze.

Natsumi growled lowly, looking down at Sanosuke. "Have you even told her you're in love with her yet?"

"I just got back." Was all he said as he ripped his arm from her grip.

She glared down at him. "See." She said to Akito, pointing to their son. "You're not allowed to have sex with her unless you've told her that you love her."

"No." Sanosuke said firmly, though he was trying to quell the shaking in his system, since he'd never defied her before.

Natsumi blinked, seeming confused before she glanced down at him. "Excuse me?"

"I said…no." he repeated, nodding as if to affirm it. "What Talia and I do is none of your business. You can't be this harsh with me after being so loose with Nori, it's not fair. You always talk about not treating any of us differently, that we're all equal, but even you don't treat us the same mother."

"Excuse me, child that came from me." She said, smacking him over the head. "_Everything_ you do is my business." She told him harshly. "And how dare you disrespect me like that! I am your mother, of course I treat you all different, because you are different. You don't understand anything about your brother, so do not talk like I just let him do whatever he wants." She glared. "Especially seeing as you can't even tell Talia, your best friend, you even like her like that. At least Noriaki is clear about his intentions and has told Hikari he likes her. You will be respectful of Talia and your mother. And now you're grounded." She said simply, looking at Akito and silently telling him to back her.

"No training, and no Talia, for a week." Akito said, making Sanosuke go wide eyed.

"No! Take away the training, but I can't leave Talia alone!" he said, looking between them. "You can even ground me for two weeks…please…"

Natsumi shook her head. "No, it's not grounding if you don't lose what you want most." She said strongly. "Seeing as you have _no_ respect for anyone but yourself, you will learn some. You can hang out with Talia for the rest of the day, but after dinner you will take her home and be back in no more than ten minutes. Do you understand?"

Sanosuke glared at her. He couldn't just tell them about her abuse…it wasn't their business, and Talia would be mortified. But they just didn't understand. Maybe if his mother had actually left when he'd asked, he would have told Talia of his feelings. Just gotten caught up in the moment and confessed everything. But she wouldn't even try to see reason. She said he didn't understand his brother, but she didn't understand him. Neither of them did. "You just don't get it." he growled, moving past her and walking down the hall to go back to his room.

Just as he got there, his door opened and Talia walked out, fully dressed. She looked over and when she saw him, a light pink came to her cheeks. "Oh hey Sano…" she said softly, poking her fingers together. She couldn't believe how embarrassed she was for practically assaulting him. "Look, I'm really sorry for…um…you know…I just couldn't help it. You know, heat of the moment and all…"

Disappointment welled up inside him, and he looked off so that she wouldn't see it. "Oh…it's alright." he said, schooling his features and looking back at her. "I'm grounded from you and training for a week, so today is all we'll have together for a while." He told her.

Her eyes widened and a look of pure panic flashed across her face. "What?" she asked.

"That's what my parents said…I tried to reason with them, but my mother won't listen to me." he sighed, reaching out and cupping her cheek. "But I promise…I will be there for you if you need me. All you have to do is rub this." he told her, lifting the necklace he had given her. "The heat from the friction will alter the speed of the sand slightly, and I will be alerted to it."

She smiled, reaching up and touching the necklace. "That's good to know." She whispered, before hugging him tightly. "Thank you." She said. "For being my knight in shining armor."

He returned her embrace, laying his head on top of hers. "You're welcome." He said, holding her close. "Did you want to eat here? I…don't really wish to be around my parents, but if it will make you happy I can bear through lunch."

Talia looked up at him, giving him an encouraging smile. "Sanosuke, they just love you, and I know they want what's best. You were probably being a butthead anyway." She giggled, leaning up and hesitantly kissing his cheek before meeting his gaze. "I bet if you behave, your mom will let you be with me. She knows how much I…" she paused, wanting to tell him now how much she was in love with him. But she didn't want to scare him away. "How much I deeply care about you."

"Doubtful." He snorted. "After all, she knows how much I care for you, and she didn't bend at all. She even defended Nori and his philandering ways to me when I tried to use an excuse similar to that. She _defended_ him, and said that I don't understand him." he pouted.

She laughed. "But you don't." she said, seeming to brighten. "I sure as heck don't. He's definitely a mystery to me. I can't imagine what goes on in his head. I mean, he saved me and was really nice about it. It was like he was a different person."

"That doesn't mean she has to defend him!" he said. "He never got into trouble for having sex with random girls before dumping them on the curb, and I fool around with someone I've known and cared for my entire life and it's a crime?! It just doesn't make sense!"

"Well…maybe they think you're better than that?" she said hopefully. "After all, you should only do that sort of thing with someone you really…um…you know…" she blushed. "Love. That's why I…I wanted-" she was interrupted with the slam of a door and suddenly Hayate was running down the hall.

"Come on Sano! Talia! Lunch time!" he declared, practically ripping Talia from Sanosuke and dragging her down the hall.

"Sometimes…I despise this family." Sanosuke muttered to himself, before turning and going to the kitchen, where everyone else was seated at the table. He took the chair next to Talia and sat down, still sulking about everything.

Lunch went by fairly smoothly, everyone actually having a good time and laughing. Sanosuke had to admit, Hikari wasn't a half bad addition to their family. She was able to not only put up with Noriaki and his brashness, but keep him in line somewhat as well. When they were done, Noriaki and Hikari headed out for the day and everyone went to do their own thing. Talia and Sanosuke spent the rest of the day together, enjoying being with one another as they caught up. Despite having written letters to each other constantly throughout the year of his absence, it was different to just hang out and talk. Dinner finally came around and it was just Sanosuke, Talia, and his parents, since Kanamé and Izayoi had gone out to a movie together and Hayate was at Chitose's.

Unfortunately it came time for Sanosuke to take Talia home. Natsumi walked with them to the door and gave her son a sad look. "Be safe okay, and come back quick. We'll see you around Talia." She waved as they headed out.

Talia smiled, looking over at Sanosuke. "See, I told you. She's going to loosen up."

"She only said we'd see you around, not that it wouldn't be in a week." He pouted, unconsciously taking her hand and holding it as they walked.

"Stop being such a downer." She giggled. "Everything is going to work out. You'll see, we'll be back together in no time. You just have to behave." She said, bumping her hip against his as she snickered.

He looked over at her, the corner of his mouth tilting up slightly. "I always behave."

Talia's smile grew, until they were finally in front of her apartment building. She sighed and looked up at the place. "Well here it is."

He nodded, before squeezing her hand and looking down at her. "Remember…I will always be there if you need me." he said. "And I won't leave until you signal me from your bedroom window that everything is alright."

She met his gaze and nodded, leaning against him. "Alrighty. Thank you." She smiled once more before pulling away from him and heading up the steps. Sanosuke watched her ascent, until she disappeared down the hall. His gaze moved to her window, where he waited. But something disturbed him, sand pressed against his skin and suddenly Noriaki appeared beside him.

"Where is Talia?!" he demanded, looking around nearly panicked. "You two were gone when I got home." He said, before going wide eyed.

Sanosuke frowned. "She's…upstairs. I'm waiting for her to signal me." he said, pointing to the building somewhat confused.

"No! You've got to stop her!" he yelled, running towards the steps, though he stopped when they both heard her scream in absolute horror.

"Talia!" Sanosuke shouted, letting his sand take him up to her room. He ran out into the living room, nearly panicked. "Talia!" he said once more, his gaze landing on her.

The blonde screamed out once more, tears streaming down her cheeks as she held something close to her. It wasn't until he took in the full scene that he realized she was drenched in blood and holding her dead mother in her arms. Talia sobbed, hunching over the blonde woman, her grip iron on the body. The place looked like someone had been massacred, and it wasn't too far from it, because Talia's mother wasn't whole.

There was a darkened spot on the floor, and near it was a charred, stinking corpse large enough to be a man's. Noriaki appeared in the doorway beside Sanosuke, a frown on his face as he looked over the scene he'd already caught a glimpse of. Sanosuke could hardly breathe. He couldn't even move to comfort his best friend who was sobbing uncontrollably. "What happened?" he barely got out, nearly becoming physically sick from the scent of burnt flesh and fats.

Noriaki looked to the blackened body. "I…heard about your encounter with the step-dad…and I know I was right about Talia being abused. I wanted to make sure it was okay for her to come back here…" he admitted. "When I snuck my sand eye in, it was just in time to see him beating her mother, right before he slit her throat."

"And…did he do that to himself?" Sanosuke asked. He knew his elder brother used fire in almost every jutsu he did, and so he wouldn't be surprised if Noriaki had taken it upon himself to dish out his own form of justice.

Noriaki frowned. "No."

"I see." He said, his gaze moving back to Talia. He finally willed himself to move and walked over to her, crouching next to her. "Talia…we need to go." He said, reaching out and placing his hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to be around this."

"No!" she screamed, smacking his hand away before she resumed hugging her mother. Noriaki sighed and walked over to his brother.

"Talia, you have to listen to him. I've already sent a sign to my parents, they will be here soon."

The blonde sobbed out, looking back at them. "This is your fault!" she yelled accusingly, streaks running through the blood on her face. "If you had just left me alone! What's wrong with you! How could you do something so disgusting!" she spat out, beginning to cry once more.

It wasn't very long after that Akito and Natsumi appeared in the doorway of the apartment. Natsumi gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as she surveyed the scene. "Oh my God."

"What happened here?" Akito asked, surveying the scene and beginning to piece things together himself.

Noriaki looked over at his dad, before walking past him. "That disgusting piece of filth killed her mother and he was going to kill her, so I did the only logical thing…and burned him alive." He said, before disappearing out the door.

The Hokage sighed and went next to Talia, crouching on her other side. "Talia, you need to leave now." He said softly, though his tone brooked no argument. "The scene has to be documented and cleaned up, and you could use a bath as well."

"No." she shook her head, trembling. "I…I can't leave her."

Natsumi walked over, kneeling beside her as well. "Sweetie, she's dead. You need to let go and come home with us." She said, placing her hand on Talia's back. She looked to Sanosuke and gestured for him to go and pack as many of her clothes as he could.

Sanosuke nodded, reluctantly going back to her room and taking her duffel bag out of her closet. He packed as many of her clothes as would fit, mostly just the ones he knew were her favorites and were special to her. If she needed anything more his family would me more than happy to purchase them, and so it was not a problem. Then he took her backpack and filled it with her pictures and other items she may want to decorate the guest bedroom in to make her feel more comfortable. Once that was finished he grabbed her toiletries from her bathroom and zipped up the bag, taking both with him as he went back into the living room.

Talia was no longer holding her mother, instead clinging onto his as she cried and was comforted. His father appeared to be in some sort of meditative state, but he knew it was simply the jutsu the Hokage used in emergencies when he needed to contact a large amount of people. More than likely he was bringing the necessary teams here to clean up the scene and take care of the bodies. And that was something Talia did not need to see. He walked over to his mother and friend. "Let's go." He said softly.

Natsumi nodded and leaned over, lifting Talia up into her arms, only able to do so due to the fact she was a seasoned shinobi. She disappeared in a swirl of sand, leaving Akito and Sanosuke to follow soon after. When they arrived home, everyone was there and trying to help out. Izayoi and Natsumi had taken Talia into the bathroom to help her get cleaned up and Hayate was standing beside the door, listening in case they needed him for anything.

When Akito and Sanosuke arrived, Kanamé came up to them, clearly confused as to what was going on. "Mom says to put her things in your room Sano."

"Alright." he sighed, turning to head that way so he could unpack for her. He looked back at his brother. "Will you help me? I need to make room for her things…"

Kanamé nodded and followed his brother to his room. "What happened?" he asked hesitantly.

Sanosuke set Talia's bags down on his bed and move to his dresser to begin emptying out two drawers for her. "Talia's stepfather has been beating her…ever since I left…" he told him. "And when I found out today…she told me not to do anything to him…that I was better than that. So I didn't. But when he came home and was cursing at her and degrading her, saying she had chores to do and for me to leave…I told him to fuck off and clean his own house." He said, moving his clothes to different drawers, not even looking back at his brother. "He tried to take her from me, and I stopped him, but when he called her a whore I couldn't hold back anymore, so I punched him. Then Talia and I left."

He stopped what he was doing and placed his hands on top of his dresser. "Nori suspected she was being abused…and had been keeping an eye on her in my absence. When he heard about what I said to Hajime…I guess he'd been following us around…he went back to the apartment to make sure Talia could return there, and caught the bastard in the act of killing Talia's mother. So Nori burned him alive." His grip on the edge of the wood tightened. "If I had known…I wouldn't have let her go up there…she saw it all…"

"Oh my God." The elder grimaced. "But…why would Noriaki do that? He should have gotten mom and dad the second he saw it."

"I don't know…and now Talia's upset, and she blames Nori for everything…I don't even know where he is. He just left once mom and dad showed up." Sanosuke said, getting a hold of his skewed emotions and resuming his task. "Will you unpack the backpack? It's full of her pictures and stuff…just put them wherever you think looks best." He said, grabbing the duffel and beginning to put away the clothes that didn't need to be hung up.

Kanamé nodded and began to do as he was asked. He just didn't understand Noriaki's reasoning for killing that man, no matter how despicable he was. The two worked in silence until they were done and then went into the living room, where Akito was sitting with his face in his folded hands. "Hey Dad." Kanamé called, sitting down on the couch across from him. "What's going to happen?"

"I don't know." Akito sighed wearily. He looked up at his sons. "Talia can stay here for as long as she needs, of course, that's not an issue. But as for your brother…I can't just let this slide. He took justice into his own hands. But nothing can be done until we find him and I get his side of the story. The full version." He rubbed his forehead.

"I can always look for him." Sanosuke offered, since he wanted to speak with Noriaki about it privately.

"But what about Talia?" Kanamé said, looking to his brother.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Izayoi said as she walked in, drying her hands with a towel. "Mom wants her by herself for a little bit, she finally calmed down and mom has her in Sanosuke's bed. She's talking to her and making sure she's alright."

Akito ran one of his hands through his hair and glanced at Sanosuke. "Go find him." He said.

Sanosuke nodded and turned to leave, passing Izayoi and hearing her whisper something about the roof of the house before she went to the kitchen. He glanced back at her, before using his sand to take him up to the roof, where he found his older brother sitting and staring out at the Uchiha Prefecture. He didn't say anything, instead walking over and taking a seat next to the middle triplet.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" Noriaki said, not sparing Sanosuke a glance.

"No." he replied. "Mother is taking care of Talia and talking to her alone." He looked over at him. "So what really happened?"

The triplet frowned. "I told you what happened. That pig slit that woman's throat, he would have killed Talia too…and I knew what he'd been doing. So this time I burned him alive."

"Why?" he wondered. "I mean…you could have gotten mom or dad and let them deal with him."

Noriaki scoffed. "Why? So he could be put away, possibly let off the hook? We all know he's a snake. The only way to handle that was for him to die. Or else he would have harmed your little Talia. And you couldn't do anything, because for some reason that blonde little idiot has a heart of gold, anything you would have done would have made you the bad guy." He said, looking down as he leaned forward and rested his crossed arms on his knees. "And I don't care if I'm the bad guy…she needed someone to focus all that pent up rage on, with him in jail or sentenced to death she wouldn't have that. Sometimes you just need someone despicable to blame, and if that's me…well then at least it's not you."

Sanosuke frowned. "Why would you do that for her? For me?" he asked. "You can't stand Talia, and you only ever tolerate me."

"You're my brother." He grumbled. "I would do anything for you…"

Sanosuke faced forward and took this all in. A small, slow smile made its way to his face. For Noriaki to go so far, to do all of this for him, it meant a lot. He looked back at Noriaki and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I would do the same for you." he said. "So thanks."

He smirked, looking back at him. "No you wouldn't." he said, though there was nothing harsh behind his words. "You're way too nice, even if you do pretend to be like grandfather." Noriaki stood then and looked off. "I wanted him to suffer. So I trapped him in a genjutsu, so he relived abuse as he felt himself burning, even though all his nerves had been fried."

He rose as well. "I may be nice, but it's like you said. You're my brother." he said, looking up at the stars. "Dad wants to talk to you about what happened, by the way."

"I figured…after all, I did just murder somebody." He smirked, glancing down. "Well, better get this over with." He sighed, walking over to the edge and jumping off the roof with Sanosuke close behind. They walked into the living room together. "You wanted to see me dad." Noriaki said, almost nonchalantly.

"Don't act so casual Noriaki, you're just going to piss me off." Akito said, rising from the couch. "I'm going to need you to tell me what happened in detail, and I also need a written statement from you to put on file. After that, I will have to talk with your mother and the elders about what to do…there may even be a trial."

"It's amazing, don't you think? As long as we're killing people from other villages it's okay. Doesn't matter that they aren't bad people. But you torch an abusive asshole in your own hometown and suddenly you're the bad guy." He said, looking off.

Akito glared at him. "Don't get smart with me. Nobody here is saying you're the bad guy." he said. "But no matter how abusive he was, he was a civilian whose life you took into your own hands, and this matter has to be investigated properly in order to follow the law. You can't just suddenly become some vigilante and dish out what you believe is justice."

"I would have done the same thing father." Sanosuke said. "If Talia hadn't begged me not to, I would have killed him slowly, and made him suffer. Not in the same manner, but just as painful."

"Not to mention," Noriaki said, meeting his father's gaze. "I bet you were real _fair_ when that rapist came after mom on your honeymoon in the Crescent Moon Islands." At his father's slightly shocked gaze, he smirked. "Yeah. She told me all about it. Because sometimes, you just have to act."

Akito's gaze hardened. "Regardless, this matter has to be handled according to Konoha's laws, and until something has been decided, you are suspended from any missions, and are not to leave this precinct. So if you want to see Hikari, she will have to come here." He said.

He shrugged. "Fine." He said, turning and heading down the hall towards his bedroom. Kanamé sighed and looked back to his dad.

"Nothing bad is going to happen, right?"

"I don't know." Akito admitted, looking to his eldest. "I would like to say no, because he is my son…but you'll find Kanamé, that you must be as unbiased as you can when it comes to politics and your family." He sighed. "Favoritism doesn't look good, after all. But I will do everything I can to make sure the elders see reason…based on what little he told me."

"I know Nori can be difficult…cause' you and him almost have nothing in common, but I know he wouldn't do something like this without a good reason." Kanamé said, trying to defend his brother, even though he knew his father would try not to be against him.

"I know son." Akito nodded. "I have to go to the office and take care of some things…if your mother asks, I'll be home late tonight." His deep gaze moved to Sanosuke. "Don't beat yourself up about this, you had no control over it." were his last words before he left.

Sanosuke frowned, looking after his father. Had it been that obvious? He returned his gaze to Kanamé. "Do you think I can go back and see Talia now?" he asked.

"You can always check." He said, before heading to his own bedroom. Sanosuke followed after him and as he came to his room, he saw Natsumi coming out. She looked over at him and gave him a small smile.

"She's asleep now, so be quiet when you go in." she said, walking over to him and hugging him tightly before kissing his forehead. "I need to go protect your brother now, so watch over her like you always do."

"Mother…" Sanosuke said, keeping her from leaving. "You were right…about me not understanding Nori…but…I think I do a little better now." He smiled slightly. "Please tell dad that what Noriaki did he did for me…so that Talia wouldn't blame me for what happened."

She kissed the top of his head once more. "I know…that brother of yours, he's so darn smart. He's a lot like both your grandfathers. For some reason he can see a bigger picture. Unlike his mom and dad, we all like living in the moment." She chuckled, hugging him tighter. "Talia is too sweet. She couldn't love someone like your dad or your brother. You need to be her foundation now." She said, before pulling away and brushing his hair back. "Protect the house. I'll be back later with your dad."

"Alright." Sanosuke nodded, turning and going into his room, making sure to be quiet. He saw Talia asleep in his bed, and couldn't help but feel that it was right. She should stay there for the rest of time. He sighed, taking off his clothes until he was down to his boxers. He went over to his dresser and took out some sleeping pants and put them on. Then he carefully crawled into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "I'm so sorry Talia." He whispered, burying his face in her hair. "This is all my fault." He sighed, closing his eyes, but not sleeping until he felt his parents come home. Because it wasn't until then he knew that everything was okay. Or as okay as it would get.


	11. Pain

**Enigma**

_Chapter Eleven_

-Pain-

Talia opened her puffy eyes slowly, sniffing as she snuggled into the warmth that had surrounded her. She felt comfortable, safe, but it did nothing to quell the emptiness that filled her. "Please," she whispered, knowing Sanosuke had woken up the moment she had moved. "Please tell me it was just a bad dream…" she begged.

"I've never lied to you in my life." Sanosuke said softly, making her throat begin to close up. "And I won't break that record now. I'm sorry Talia."

He felt her sob and then soon after heard her crying. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him as if he might disappear. "Why?" she asked. "Why did this happen to me?"

"Maybe…it's for the best." He winced after he said it, since he didn't want her to take it the wrong way. "What I mean is, if he did that to your mother…he would have done the same thing to you, if not something worse. I'm just glad that you were spared his wrath." He said, beginning to rub her back to try and soothe her.

Talia actually glared at his chest. "It's best that my mother died instead of me?" she almost seethed, pushing away from him slightly. "What is wrong with you! Maybe if he had just killed me, he would have left her alone!"

"But you would be gone!" he replied, looking down at her. He reached out and cupped her cheek. "And then I would be all alone…"

"My whole family is dead!" she sobbed. "You have no idea what that feels like!"

"No, I don't." Sanosuke said. "But you still have me, Talia. And my family. You know you're like a daughter to my mother. Everyone here loves you."

She stared down, frowning. "It's not the same Sanosuke. My mother is dead. The woman who gave birth to me and cared for me my whole life is dead. You can't imagine the hole I feel right now. It's like I've been punched in the stomach."

He frowned. "Talia…I understand you missing your mother and being sad…but if she knew what Hajime had been doing to you and did nothing about it…she wasn't much of a mother." He said. "I know without a doubt my mother would have left my father if he did something so terrible…actually, she would have killed him, but my point is, she didn't do anything, and she could have."

"Just because she was weak as a woman doesn't mean I am okay with what happened!" Talia yelled, sitting up and moving away from him. "I will _never_ be okay with this, my mother is dead and I loved her! No matter what she did or didn't do, she was my mom and I will always love her."

"I wasn't saying you shouldn't love her, of grieve her death." Sanosuke said, sitting up as well. "I'm just trying to help you look on the bright side…I mean, you both could have died. I know what Noriaki did was bad…but if Hajime had been alive when you'd walked through the door, you could be dead. If he'd been waiting for you…I wouldn't have made it to you in time, even with my sand."

She stared at him, her amber depths filling with tears. "I don't want to look on the brighter side right now Sanosuke. All want is for you to shut up and just hold me while I cry. It hasn't even been twenty-four hours, stop trying to make me feel better because you suck at it." She said seriously, though after a bit of silence she almost laughed. "I'm sorry." She said, nearly smiling. "I didn't mean that…but you really do."

"I'm sorry." He said, opening his arms in an invitation.

She glanced down before moving over to him and sitting in his lap. "You know…if you really want to do this bright side thing…I told you your punishment wouldn't be long."

"Hm." He smiled slightly, wrapping his arms around her and holding her. "It seems you were right."

"I'm always right." She said, leaning against him and looking up. "It's time you got used to it." She snickered, before her small smile fell. "I don't…I don't know what to do Sanosuke. I'm so…angry…and I don't want to be. I'm mad and I just don't know how I should feel. I know it's not my fault…but it feels like it is."

"It's not your fault." Sanosuke said strongly, looking down at her. "If anything, it's mine. If I hadn't stood up to him for you, said and done what I did…maybe you would still have your mother." He told her, looking down in his shame.

She shook her head. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't." she said softly. "You're the only one who takes care of me…and it's something I love about you. I know you're selfish and to others you may seem like an asshole, but being the only one you care about…makes me feel special."

He kissed the top of her head. "You _are_ special Talia." He told her, reaching up and cupping her cheek. "And I would do whatever it took to keep you safe, and to take care of you."

Talia nodded, looking forward. "I wonder…when I'll start to feel normal again…"

"That's not really something we can determine, but, I will be here to help you get to that point." he said, rubbing her arm. "I wonder if my parents will let us share my room indefinitely." He couldn't help but smile.

She actually laughed. "Who knows, but we could always milk it as long as possible. I can't imagine being alone any time soon."

"Let's do that then." Sanosuke chuckled, nuzzling the top of her head slightly. He kissed her head once more. "And I will take a few weeks' vacation so that I'm not sent on any missions."

She nodded, placing her hands over his and stroking his skin with her thumbs. "Good…I appreciate it."

"Anything for you." he said. They sat like that for a few moments, before he felt the rest of his family beginning to stir and move about the house. "Are you up for breakfast? Knowing my mother, she's cooked some of everything for you." he said.

"I just don't want to be bombarded." She sighed.

"If it starts to look that way, we can leave." The Uchiha promised.

She nodded. "Sounds good." She said, but she didn't move from his grasp.

Sanosuke slipped his arm beneath her legs and lifted her as he rose, holding her like a princess. "You can stay in my lap throughout breakfast if you want." he murmured, using his sand to open his bedroom door.

"That's fine." She said, looking up at him and trying to control the fast beating of her heart. "Though, I hope no one finds it inappropriate."

"If they do I doubt they will say anything." He assured her as they walked through the living room and into the kitchen, where his family was getting ready for breakfast. "Morning everyone." Sanosuke said, his sand pulling out his chair before he sat down, keeping Talia with him.

Hayate smiled at them. "Good morning Sano! Talia!" he greeted cheerfully.

All three of the triplets stared at their brother, mostly the way he was coddling the blonde. It wasn't like it was new to see him be affectionate with Talia, but it still wasn't something that happened that much, at least in public. Natsumi turned, smiling at the two until she saw them and it faltered. She swallowed, keeping her light aura. "Good morning you two." She said, looking down at Talia. "You sleep okay Talia?"

She nodded, giving Natsumi a thankful smile. "Yeah, I didn't even hear Sano come in last night."

"That's good." Akito said, beginning to serve himself some food. "You know obviously you are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you like. It can even become permanent. Though eventually you will need to move into your own room." He told her.

"Why bother?" Noriaki scoffed. "They already act like they're married."

Talia's friendly gaze turned into a sharp glare. "Shut. Up." She snapped, making everyone go wide eyed.

"We do not." Sanosuke huffed, blushing lightly as he took the offered eggs and put some on his plate.

Noriaki sighed, setting his fork down and standing. "Well I think I'll just eat outside this morning." He said, grabbing his plate and orange juice.

Kanamé and Izayoi watched him leave, both frowning before looking at Talia and Sanosuke. "So…Talia, did you need me to get you anything?" Izayoi asked, not really knowing what to say.

"No, I'm okay." She said, taking some bacon and nibbling on it.

"Do you want some pancakes?" Hayate asked, holding the plate staked with the hot cakes out towards them.

Talia nodded and began to get some onto her plate. She took the syrup and poured some on her pancakes. The rest of breakfast continued in a similar fashion, not a lot of talking until Kanamé decided to quell his curiosity. "So what's going to happen to Noriaki?"

"He will be suspended from any missions for a period of six months, during which time he must perform community service around the village, as well as run errands for your mother and I." Akito said. "Other than that, the elders, your mother, and I, have decided that what he did, while it was wrong, was not entirely unjust. And so that will be his only punishment."

"Six whole months?" Izayoi gasped. "But he's an Anbu team leader."

Natsumi nearly growled. "Don't remind me." She said, giving her husband a somewhat irritated look.

"He has to learn his lesson." Akito replied, not backing down from his wife. "Besides, you were outvoted."

"_You_ voted against me." She argued.

"Because he has to learn his lesson. A three month suspension is not long enough and you know it." he replied. "That's the equivalent to slapping his hands away from the cookie jar and telling him no, only to have him go back when you look away."

"This is not like that Akito, this was your son doing something he knows was ri-" she paused looking over at Talia's downcast face, before returning her gaze to Akito. "You know it was for a reason."

"That doesn't mean he gets to escape the law with no consequences." The Hokage replied.

Sanosuke picked Talia up as he stood. "Breakfast was delicious mother, thank you." He said, turning and beginning to head from the room, since he didn't want his friend to be bothered by their debate any longer.

Talia sighed, resting against him and looking off. "What do you think Sanosuke…?" she asked hesitantly.

"About Noriaki's punishment?" he asked, wanting to clarify.

She nodded. "Well…kind of…about the entire thing…"

He looked off as they entered his bedroom once more and let out a sigh. His answer would not make her happy. "Well…while I admit that what happened to your mother was terrible, I believe that Hajime got what he deserved, based on what Noriaki told me, and I don't think he should be punished at all for what he did."

"I see." She said softly, looking off. "What are you going to do today?"

"Whatever you want to do." The ebony haired boy answered automatically, closing his bedroom door with his foot and sitting on the edge of his bed, placing her in his lap.

"Could we just lie together, talking, and you running your fingers through my hair?" she asked, looking up at him.

He smiled slightly, actually liking that idea. He hadn't seen her in so long, after all, and despite everything, he couldn't help and be selfish in his thinking that what had happened yesterday was one of the best things to ever happen to him. "Of course."

"Then let's do that, all day, just you and me until we fall asleep again." She smiled somewhat.

"Well we'll have to take breaks for lunch and dinner." The Uchiha chuckled, reaching up and stroking her cheek. "But that sounds nice."

She leaned into his hand, staring into his green depths. "Not if we eat in here."

"Good idea." He rested his forehead against hers, kissing it before they both moved to lay down, with Sanosuke holding her and running his fingers through her hair.

They stayed like this the rest of the day, having Natsumi bring them their food when it was ready so that they didn't have to leave. Sanosuke could tell that their nonstop interaction was worrying his mother, especially the way he was always holding his blonde friend, but he didn't care. If it was really bothering her she would say something about it, and until then, he would ignore her.

And eventually, Talia fell asleep in his embrace, Sanosuke following her soon after, thinking once again that he liked sharing his bed with her, and that it was something he could get used to really quickly.


End file.
